Mekong Innovation Initiative launched
VGP - The Viet Nam’s Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) launched the Mekong Innovation Initiative to help Viet Nam advance the digital economy and Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) through developing a more robust, digitally-ready workforce and mobilize resources to support innovation in the Mekong Region.
The launch ceremony of the Mekong Innovation Initiative, Can Tho, April 6, 2022
USAID/Viet Nam Mission Director Ann Marie Yastishock and MPI Vice Minister Tran Duy Dong were joined by the Director of MPI's National Innovation Center and leaders from 13 provinces in the Mekong Region for the launching ceremony in the southern city of Can Tho.
The Mekong Innovation Initiative will help address a growing demand for digital skills across Viet Nam's economy by training 500 individuals in the Mekong Region in digital transformation and e-commerce skills, unlocking new employment opportunities.
This program builds on Viet Nam's own investments in reforming its workforce and supports Viet Nam in advancing its Fourth Industrial Revolution Strategy.
In his remarks, MPI Vice Minister Tran Duy Dong said that the Mekong Innovation Initiative will expand interest in digital opportunities and motivation to join the digital transformation and help combine resources to accelerate innovation for the Mekong Delta.
"The opportunities are significant for Viet Nam to realize the potential of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and thrive through this economic transition, but to do so requires enabling its digitally equipped workforce to power a knowledge-based economy across many sectors," said Ann Marie Yastishock, USAID/Viet Nam Mission Director.
USAID is excited to expand our collaboration supporting Viet Nam in finding innovative approaches for supplementing conventional degree paths and accelerating the digital transformation of Viet Nam's workforce.
Earlier, the Mekong Innovation Initiative is supported by USAID Viet Nam's Workforce for an Innovation and Start-up Ecosystem (WISE) activity, which Vice President Kamala Harris announced during her visit to Viet Nam in 2021.
WISE is a collaboration between USAID and MPI's National Innovation Center that focuses on expanding digital skills within Viet Nam's labor market to improve the upward mobility and competitiveness of Viet Nam's workforce.
WISE will support the Mekong Innovation Initiative to develop the digital labor force of the Mekong Region. This is part of WISE's commitment to bridge urban-rural and gender digital divides, helping to ensure that the digital economy and Fourth Industrial Revolution opportunities are accessible to all of Viet Nam's population./.
