The main purpose this report is to assess the potential of Mandalay to become an
attractive investment site for export oriented foreign manufacturing firms. The study
found that Mandalay has many external constraints to become industrial hubs of
Myanmar infrastructure particularly in electricity, land and financial aspects that need
to be tackled urgently and fundamentally. For internal constraints, finance is found as a
major problem for business to expand. Technology, skill development, machines and
equipment are found as also important internal barriers for the firms. Despite these,
there have important opportunities for some industries including agricultural food
processing, ICT and electronic component parts manufacturing and textile industries.
By using locally abundant resources of agricultural produces and labor force coupled
with money and technology brought by foreign investors, these industries have huge
opportunities for growth. To be qualified local firms in Mandalay as suppliers to
international companies and to become Mandalay as an attractive manufacturing site
for foreign firms, a number of positive measures need to be implemented. This inevitably
takes some time to achieve. For macro level interventions, foresighted and consistent
policies, political will, money and time investment and patience are necessary along the
way. Out of them, land issue need to handle first because unclear ownership of land and
land use right are serious barriers for investors even more than the issue of high land
price. The regular and reliable supply of electricity is also the next important factor to
be tackled. Improvement in road, rail and port infrastructure and clear policy and rules
of regional government to promote foreign investment is the third most important
intervention to be done