The Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) on March 9 held a seminar on the implementation of a project entitled, “The Global Competitiveness Facility for Vietnamese Enterprises” (GCF) in the central province of Phu Yen.

Amarnath Reddy, GCF’s senior advisor said that from now until 2013, the GCF plans to fund 50-60 projects of non-State businesses in eight provinces and cities of Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, Khanh Hoa, Phu Yen, Lam Dong, Dak Lak, An Giang and Can Tho with a non-refundable aid of 216 billion VND (10.3 million USD).

In Phu Yen, the project will cover aquaculture, agriculture, fisheries, tourism and handicrafts.

The GCF is designed to increase the competitiveness of non-State businesses in export-oriented business sectors in the targeted provinces through better access to relevant business services and exposure to innovative business models.

During the first phase from 2006-2010, the GCF has provided 135 billion VND to four provinces of Ha Tay (now part of Hanoi), Nghe An, Khanh Hoa and Lam Dong, helping to generate jobs for 6,400 locals and provide vocational training for more than 8,100 workers./.