THE government has called on foreign companies to invest in Myanmar’s information and com-munication technology (ICT) sector, a senior Ministry of Telecommunications, Post and Telegraphs said last week.

“Both domestic and international companies will be allowed to invest in our ICT sector. Interested companies should feel free to contact the ministry,”
said U Zaw Min Oo, the chief engineer of Myanma Post and Telecommunications.

He added that investment in the Yadanabon cyber city project near Pyin Oo Lwin in Mandalay Division was possible but so were several other projects.

“All opportunities and possibilities are subject to discussion between us and whichever interested parties come to us during the workshops at the seventh Myanmar ICT week 2008 exhibitions that will be held at Yadanabon in December,” said U Zaw Min Oo.

The four-day exhibition will be held during the second week of December and will be hosted by the Ministry of Communications, Posts and Telegraphs and co-sponsored by the Myanmar Computer Federation (MCF), Myanmar Com-puter Professionals Association and the Myanmar Computer Entrepreneurs Association, he said.

U Zaw Min Oo said the main aim of the four-day event was to build for the future and he expressed hope that foreign firms would take part in the growth of Myanmar’s IT industry.

“In the past, although there were many foreign IT companies that wanted
to discuss investment opportunities, display products at the exhibitions and then introduce them, the ministry denied their requests because the infrastructure was not ready,” he said.

U Zaw Min Oo said the Yadanabon project covers a total of 10,000 acres and started in 2006. He said it is a key part of Myanmar’s plans to link with the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), through the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) and detailed programs to link with international networks are underway, Xinhua news agency reported recently.

As a signatory to the e-ASEAN Framework Agreement initiated at the 2000 Singapore summit, Myanmar formed an e-National Task Force to support IT development, the Xinhua report said.