MinDA, BOI see region moving from resource supplier to value-adding growth hub
Photo: Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA)
DAVAO CITY (August 25) — Mindanao is sending a stronger message to investors: the region is ready for business, and its next growth story should be built not just on what it can produce, but on what it can make.
Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Secretary Leo Tereso Magno said Monday the region is increasingly positioned to attract private investments, citing improvements in infrastructure, peace and security, and its growing role in food and energy security.
“Mindanao is investment-ready,” Magno said at the Philippine Economic Briefing here.
He said government spending is already building roads, gateways and utilities needed by businesses. The bigger challenge now is turning these gains into bankable projects that can be implemented faster.
For communities, the investment push could mean more than new businesses. It could bring jobs, markets for farmers, better connectivity and new industries closer to where people live.
Magno said Mindanao must also overcome its long-standing image as a conflict-affected region, noting that peace and security remain critical in convincing investors to bring in capital.
But government cannot do the job alone.
Magno urged greater use of public-private partnerships (PPPs), noting that MinDA has created a one-stop shop and facilitation desk to help local governments and private groups develop investment projects.
He identified agribusiness, agro-processing, renewable energy, logistics, tourism and critical minerals among Mindanao’s major opportunities.
The region’s mineral wealth, in particular, presents a chance to create more local jobs and businesses.
Rather than simply exporting raw minerals, Magno said Mindanao should develop industries that process these resources into higher-value products.
That same shift—from supplying raw materials to creating products—was highlighted by the Board of Investments (BOI) during the final leg of its 2026 Strategic Investment Priority Plan roadshow.
BOI Governor Marjorie Samaniego said Mindanao’s strengths in manufacturing, agribusiness, renewable energy, logistics, critical minerals, digital services and halal industries could position the region as a strategic hub for food security, mineral processing and even integrated circuit design.
“Mindanao’s next chapter should not be defined only by what it produces or supplies,” Samaniego said, stressing the need to move further along the value chain.
Finance Secretary Frederick Go said government and business must work together to turn these opportunities into actual investments and projects.
For Mindanao, the message from government is increasingly clear: the region has the resources, but its real test is whether investment can translate into decent jobs, stronger local industries and wider opportunities for communities.
