Ekniti hopes today's CEO forum will overhaul the country, driving the economy toward a new landscape competitive on the global stage. Plans are to consolidate private sector opinions along with prepared economic transformation strategies, advancing through the Joint Public-Private Sector Committee (กรอ.) with a focus on investment, human capital development, and AI.
On 15 May 2026 GMT+7, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas revealed details of a major private sector consultation forum under the concept "Entrepreneurs Speak, Government Listens." About 34-35 CEOs from 10 industry groups were invited to propose recommendations today (15 May). This forum was initiated by Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who seeks private sector input to address the key challenge of guiding Thailand's economy beyond global changes and transforming its economic structure (Economy Transformation) to enhance future competitiveness.
“This forum will openly listen to private sector views, and I will summarize the key points from the meeting to establish a strategic approach for driving Thailand’s economy under the new landscape. The goal is to reshape Thailand to compete with other countries. We will combine these insights with the economic transformation strategies developed with our team,” Ekniti said.
The economic transformation strategy prepared as a guideline for Thailand’s economic advancement will be driven by main engines including investment, human resource development, green economy, artificial intelligence (AI) technology, education reform, and public sector reform.
Future investments must focus on new infrastructure such as clean energy and removing legal obstacles to ensure the economic overhaul and capacity enhancement can proceed continuously.
Ekniti added that to implement private sector proposals and national economic strategies, the plan is to use the Joint Public-Private Sector Committee (กรอ.) as the primary mechanism. This revives a past mechanism but with updated, more agile roles, shifting from government-led to a collaborative model where the private sector leads on expert issues and the government acts as a facilitator, especially in removing regulatory barriers. Progress will be closely monitored monthly, with a target to achieve tangible results within six months.