USAID, Ministry of Planning and Investment, and Leaders of the Mekong Region Launch Mekong Innovation Initiative

Recently, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Vietnam’s Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) launched the Mekong Innovation Initiative to help Vietnam 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. USAID/Vietnam 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 formal launching ceremony in Can Tho.

The Mekong Innovation Initiative will help address a growing demand for digital skills across Vietnam’s economy by training 500 inpiduals in the Mekong Region in digital transformation and e-commerce skills, unlocking new employment opportunities. This program builds on Vietnam’s own investments in reforming its workforce and supports Vietnam in advancing its Fourth Industrial Revolution Strategy.

Representatives from the private sector, universities, and training institutions, joined USAID, MPI, and local governments at an event to launch the program. The event featured presentations and discussions on current opportunities to advance a culture of innovation in the Mekong region, how policy can be reformed to promote innovation, and the workforce investments needed to fuel a knowledge economy.

“The opportunities are significant for Vietnam 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/Vietnam Mission Director, during remarks delivered at today’s event. “USAID is excited to expand our collaboration supporting Vietnam in finding innovative approaches for supplementing conventional degree paths and accelerating the digital transformation of Vietnam’s workforce.”

In his remarks, MPI Vice Minister Tran Duy Dong added, “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 Mekong Innovation Initiative is supported by USAID Vietnam’s Workforce for an Innovation and Start-up Ecosystem (WISE) activity, which Vice President Kamala Harris announced during her visit to Vietnam in 2021. WISE is a collaboration between USAID and MPI’s National Innovation Center that focuses on expanding digital skills within Vietnam’s labor market to improve the upward mobility and competitiveness of Vietnam’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 pides, helping to ensure that the digital economy and Fourth Industrial Revolution opportunities are accessible to all of Vietnam’s population.