Project News

A technical workshop on project appraisal was carried out for the staff of the Investment, Project, Business Development Division of the Foreign Investment and Foreign Trade Agency (FIFTA) on 23 May–8 June 2011. The workshop discussed three topics: (1) financial analysis for project profit, risk, and growth potential; (2) added value in terms of the macroeconomic impact of investment projects; and (3) simulation of such analysis and impacts using an application software. The workshop used a combination of group lectures and individual tutorials to deepen the participants' understanding of the topics.

Since the end of 2010, when the first workshop was carried out—on calculating present value—up to the above-mentioned workshop on macroeconomic analysis, the Project Team could see a noticeable progress in the participants' skills.

It is expected that after the next workshop, which will be conducted later this year, the participants would be able to teach other staff. To prepare them for this, there is a plan for them to give lectures to other FIFTA staff.

A further challenge is ensuring that the participants utilize their newfound knowledge and skills in their daily work. Designing new application forms and developing project appraisal standards should thus be taken into consideration in the next technical workshops.