| Dr. Goncalves recently
facilitated the first investment forum held by the government
of Timor-Leste. Among those attending were representatives of the
private and public sectors, including local business associations,
directors of several government ministries, Timor-Leste's 13 district
administrators, academics, and members of the donor community.
During the forum, stakeholders worked through and agreed on a
strategy on private investment policy. The issues ranged from
where the businesses community should get information to facilitate
new investment and improve their business skills, to whether Timor-Leste should have one law covering all investors or two laws--one
for domestic investors and another for foreign investors that
would spell out the guarantees, incentives, and benefits for domestic
and foreign investors.
The stakeholders agreed to recommend a three-tiered system to
support economic development.
• Those in the first tier--microentrepreneurs--will
receive support from social and economic affairs officers assigned
recently in Timor-Leste's 13 districts.
• Small and medium-scale enterprises will have access
to advice from business development centers. Four of these centers
are open for business already in Dili, Baucau, Oecusse, and
Maliana. A fifth center is planned for Maubisse.
• Foreign investors and Timorese exporters will be supported
through an autonomous agency specially created by the government
to promote and support this level of investment.
"The government will support the creation of an investment
promotion framework to allow the private sector to take a lead
role in economic development," Dr. Goncalves said. "This
framework is expected to be friendly to investment and promote
job creation."
Dr. Goncalves is an investment expert with Nathan Associates,
Inc, a USAID implementing partner. USAID supports Dr. Goncalves'
work at the Ministry of Development and Environment, and through
it the promotion of a robust free-market economy that is open
to trade and foreign investment to create employment and increase
incomes.
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