Project News

One of the tasks of the Project Team is to examine Foreign Investment and Foreign Trade Agency's (FIFTA) database for registered foreign investments. The JICA Project Team will provide recommendations on improving the overall structure and operation and maintenance of the database, and where possible, initiate repairs on the database.

FIFTA's database contains information on all foreign direct investments (FDI) and foreign investors registered by FIFTA. This information is collected as part of FIFTA's registration process for foreign investors and in fulfilling its obligations under Mongolian law.

The database is intended to be a comprehensive collection of information on foreign investors in Mongolia. FIFTA is the sole agency responsible for registering all foreign investments in to and out of Mongolia, and because of this, the database has high potential to be a very important for potential investors as an investment tool on Mongolia and critical for the Government of Mongolia in developing future policy on foreign investments.

Mind map showing the aspects of FIFTA's database that the JICA Project Team has considered.

This importance of this database is recognized by the JICA Project Team and as a result, has shaped the approach the team has taken in analyzing the database. The mind map diagram on the right shows the various aspects of FIFTA's database that the JICA Project Team has considered. Based on this, the JICA Project Team, working together with FIFTA, are examining the database from three perspectives: first from a technical perspective to ensure the database meets a minimum standard of database design; second from a procedural perspective to assess FIFTA's procedures and obligations for collecting data from investors; and third from an interfacing perspective to determine the existing and required/desired interactions with other agencies, such as the Tax Office, the Statistics Office, the State Registration Office, the Customs Office, etc.

Based on a technical assessment of the database, the JICA Project Team is currently in the process of repairing some deficiencies in the existing database to ensure that it can be utilized effectively and the information contained in it can be maintained. This primarily involves fixing known bugs highlighted by FIFTA and enhancing the structure of the database. This task is expected to be completed by October 2011.

At the same time, the JICA Project Team is preparing its recommendations for FIFTA on how to improve its database collection methodology and providing further recommendations on future database development. Initial findings tend to indicate that there are several challenges ahead for FIFTA in improving their database:The JICA Project Team's recommendations report to FIFTA for the above challenges and others will be presented to FIFTA in November 2011.