The Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology & Innovation (MISTI) organised the 1st Business and Supporting Industry Potential Forum, highlighting the importance of building stronger domestic supply chains and boosting Cambodia’s SME sector as a driver of industrial transformation.
The forum gathered around 250 participants, including potential investors such as members of the Oknha Association of Cambodia, industry leaders, multinational firms, local manufacturing enterprises, private sector representatives, development partners, and policymakers.
H.E. Hem Vanndy, Minister of MISTI, emphasised that, “SMEs are central to economic diversification, job creation, skills development, entrepreneurship, and technological creativity that underpin growth of a dynamic economy.”
The forum discussed three key pillars, identifying high-potential business, fostering supply-demand linkages by matching businesses, producing to complement import and substituting import, and improving the broader business ecosystem and regulatory environment to better support industry growth.
Minister Vanndy observed that Cambodia’s economy already shows promising industrial potential, but “lack of data, information, and understanding of the potential between these actors has prevented us from turning opportunities and potential into tangible benefits.”
MISTI has identified a list of potential products in seven key sub-sectors that offer immediate market opportunities and strategic relevance for domestic value-chain strengthening and backward linkage industry. These include textiles, food & beverages, rubber & plastics, chemicals & daily-use products, automotive and electronic parts, packaging & labeling, and furniture.
The forum also aimed to mobilise Cambodian investors to enter higher-value manufacturing, strengthening supply-chain linkages between SMEs and large factories, promoting technology adoption, digitalisation, and industrial machinery upgrades, and advancing standards compliance such as ISO, GMP, and GHP to prepare SMEs for international market entry.
