The expansion of Myanmar’s ICT sector is one of the brightest spots in an economy that has undergone rapid transformation in recent years. The increasing demand for data has caught operators off guard. Norway’s Telenor initially launched a combination 2G and 3G network in the anticipation that a good percentage of users would not have 3G capable phones. However, with a growing number of affordable…
At least 330,000 people move to Yangon every year from Mayanmar’s rural heartlands or its townships in the hope of finding work. The city’s population is expected to reach nearly 10m by 2035, almost double the number registered in 2013. Housing Shortage This trend has prompted a housing shortage in the city that has pushed rents to the levels of Myanmar’s most prosperous neighbours. Many newcomers…
The forestry sector has been vitally important to Myanmar. When the country was isolated by sanctions, the selling of logs and wood helped bring in desperately needed hard currency. Exports of forestry products in 2011, the year political reforms began, broke $1bn. However, since the reforms began, much has changed. Myanmar, now open, is less in need of simple foreign currency inflows. It has other…
Investment in Myanmar’s agriculture sector is beginning to see gradual results. Indeed, Myanmar is on track to double its exports of rice by 2020, increasing production from under 2m tonnes per year to over 4m tonnes. This level of overseas sales has not been achieved in 70 years, and hitting the target would indicate Myanmar’s return as a major player in the international rice markets. According…
With a thriving economy and a youthful, burgeoning middle class, Myanmar is poised for rapid growth in retail spending. In the four years since the nation’s emergence from a lengthy period of economic isolation in 2012, disposable incomes have increased rapidly, and a handful of local retailers have stepped up their operations to meet rising demand for fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs), automobiles…
In the wake of the nation’s historic election in November 2015, Myanmar’s garment manufacturers have expressed cautious optimism about the potential for new business and continued growth. The industry has posted record expansion in recent years, with export revenues reaching $1.56bn in 2014, according to the Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association (MGMA). This was up $300m on the previous year,…
The development of Dawei is an ambitious project that, if successful, will enable goods to be shipped to Bangkok without travelling around the Malaysian peninsular through the ports of Singapore and Malaysia. They will instead be shipped directly to or from Dawei and then transported by road to Bangkok. Public Project The development of Dawei is overseen by a joint company owned by the governments…
Deep in the south of Myanmar, the Mergui Archipelago is almost off the map. Mostly uninhabited, the islands are home to around 2000 people, mostly Moken, known as “sea gypsies”, many of whom are skilled divers and fishermen living a semi-nomadic lifestyle. Some of the roughly 800 limestone and granite islands are just rocks jutting out of the sea, while others are clad with untouched forest and…
As little as five years ago, Yangon was a dark and crumbling city, the roads largely quiet apart from the occasional decrepit taxi. Now the streets of Myanmar’s biggest city are filled with second-hand Japanese saloons, mostly used as taxis, and the sky punctuated by cranes adding high-rise buildings. Despite rapid development, and unlike other South-east Asian cities, Yangon has retained many of…
While numerous education policies have been set in motion by Myanmar’s outgoing regime, the degree of implementation has varied considerably. As negotiations between lawmakers and education reformists continues to delay legislative change, the decentralisation of the Ministry of Education (MoE) is a key topic of discussion. Review By most accounts, steady progress has been made since the decision…
