📋 Tender Overview
Project Name
Business Environment Strengthening with Technology Program (Subprogram 1)
Project Number
59092-001
Country / Economy
Philippines
Project Status
Proposed
Project Type / Modality of Assistance
Loan
Source of Funding / Amount
Loan: Business Environment Strengthening with Technology Program (Subprogram 1)
Ordinary capital resources US$ 400.00 million
Sector / Subsector
Information and communication technology / ICT industries and ICT-enabled services - ICT strategy and policy, and capacity development
Public sector management / Economic affairs management
Gender
Some gender elements
Description
The proposed program builds upon the government efforts to enhance and improve the business environment, leading to increased productivity, and competitiveness. This will, in turn, facilitate, and drive private sector development and investment, stimulating job creation. The program will reduce regulatory burden and increase transparency, facilitate investment overall but with a focus on strategically important sectors, and advance the transition to digital government. The program builds on earlier ADB support to enhance the business environment, including; i) the Increasing Competitiveness for Inclusive Growth Program, a which sought to generate employment by increasing competitiveness in the economy, ii) a series of financial sector development programs designed to increase the flow of credit to the private sector, iii) the Post-COVID-19 Business and Employment Recovery Program that sought create sustainable employment opportunities through support to existing and emerging businesses c, and iv) the Domestic Resource Mobilization Program, which was designed to create fiscal space to increase productive investments and promote more inclusive and sustainable growth. The program will also enable downstream investments in the renewable energy and information and communication technology (ICT) sectors by rationalizing the investment approval process.
The program is aligned with the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028 and the 8-Point Socioeconomic Agenda which have identified regulatory transparency and efficiency as a priority. It also builds on the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act (Republic Act No. 11032) and will support implementation of Executive Order No. 18 (23 February 2023) which both seek to promote the Philippines as a top investment destination with a regulatory environment conducive to business operations. The program is also aligned with ADB's Country Partnership Strategy for the Philippines, 2024-2029, which includes boosting economic competitiveness as a key strategic pillar and fostering digital transformation and strengthening governance as cross-cutting themes. It will contribute to ADB's private sector development (PSD) shift by through pillar 4 of ADB's private sector development plan for the Philippines deepening digital enablement and ease of doing business and
