Myanmar has been an attractive investment destination for foreign investors in recent years and is looking to bring more Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) into the country to boost the economy and build infrastructure. Myanmar has a great need for FDI investment in infrastructure particularly in the energy and water sectors which are outdated and under capacity.

Myanmar’s GDP is poised to grow at 8 to 10 percent annually until 2030 from US$80 billion to about US$200 billion in 2030. Since 1988, when Burma first started tracking foreign investment, until the end of 2015, the Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) had approved $59.153 billion in foreign investment from 1033 international companies. In the fiscal year 2015 alone, over $4.7 billion is committed into electrical power generation. There are tremendous opportunities in Myanmar.

Despite of all the tremendous growth in both GDP and FDI that Myanmar has attracted, one of the main concerns is the country’s utility model system. The current power and water infrastructures are outdated and overstretched, connected mainly only to the major cities. In order to achieve an universal electrification rate and safe water access to all, at the same time to support the country’s booming economic growth, Myanmar requires urgent assistance to improve and upgrade its power and water infrastructures. This initiative requires massive amounts of funding and investment. It also creates huge opportunities in Myanmar.

Last week the country hosted ‘Sustainable Energy and Water Resources Management Week 2016’ which was designed to bring together potential investors and industry experts from all over the world to exchange ideas and insights into the current status of the country’s energy and water industries and to explore possible collaboration opportunities. Going forward we see this as an opportunity for businesses to invest in needed improvements while generating (no pun intended) strong returns. There simply are still significant investment opportunities in Myanmar.