Investor Certificates presented at a side event during the Agenda 2030 Conference
![foto2](https://timor-leste.gov.tl/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/foto2-300x200.jpg)
The Minister of State, Coordinator for Economic Affairs and Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Estanislau Aleixo da Silva, presented Investor Certificates to four companies (two Timorese and two foreign companies) that are interested in investing in Timor-Leste. The presentation was done on the 21st of May, at the Díli Convention Centre (DCC).
The Investor Certificates are issued by the Timor-Leste Agency for Promotion of Investment and Export – TradeInvest, which is under the responsibility of the Minister. A company that receives a Certificate can benefit from Tax and Customs incentives for five years if they invest in the municipalities of Díli or Baucau , for eight years, if they invest in the remaining ten Municipalities, and for ten years if they invest in the Special Economic Zone for Social Market Economy (Tetum acronym: ZEESM) of Oe-cusse or in the island of Ataúro. Additionally, the company also has the possibility of renting State land for a period of 50 years, with an extension of 50 years.
To date, 190 Investor Certificates have been delivered, 63 of which are for national companies and 127 for foreign companies.
The presentation of the Investment Certificates took place as part of an event with the theme “Economic Diversification in the era of the Sustainable Development Goals”, run in parallel to the Global Conference on the 2030 Agenda, which took place in Díli between the 22nd and 23rd of May. The side event included the launch of the first “Timor-Leste Investment Guide”, a TradeInvest Timor-Leste Initiative.
During the conference an exhibition took place which highlighted business opportunities and private sector activities in Timor-Leste. Economic diversification is a political priority for the VI Government with the intention of attracting private investment and generating employment opportunities in the country.