The Meeting of H.E Minister Prak Sokhonn with US-ABC Delegates
Phnom Penh, 8 May 2015 – H.E Minister Prak Sokhonn had the meeting with delegates of the US-ASEAN Business Council (US-ABC) led by Ms. Kathy Santillo, General Managing Director of the US-ABC, and accompanied by a representative from the US Embassy in the Kingdom of Cambodia. The delegation comprised of representatives from the Coca Cola Company, the Ford Motor Company, and the RMA Group. The purpose of the visit was to discuss opportunities and the priority policies of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPTC) in order to strengthen communication and stimulate American corporate investment in the Posts, Telecommunications, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sectors in Cambodia.
The Minister warmly welcomed the delegates and provided an overview of the developing social infrastructure, economic growth, and the favorable investment opportunities in the posts, telecommunications, ICT sectors in Cambodia.
On the path to the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015, Cambodia is currently updating policies and regulations in this sector, including: the draft laws on telecommunications and electronic commerce, the draft policy for Telecommunications-ICT Development, and the 700MHz frequency harmonization plan for wireless broadband in 2018. It also includes the Cambodia ICT Master Plan 2020 which has five priority sectors: 1) e-Government Framework, 2) e-education), 3) information security, 4) e-commerce, and 5) e-tourism.
Ms. Kathy Santillo thanked the Minister for his warm welcome and they held discussions on e-commerce, e-education, the needs for ongoing telecommunications infrastructure, and ICT development to serve the business community. She also mentioned opportunities for small and medium businesses (SMEs) in Cambodia to gain access to training and experience from ASEAN integration by joining an online ASEAN academy.
In conclusion, H.E Minister Prak Sokhonn urged the US-ABC delegates to encourage US investors to come to Cambodia to invest in ICT, e-commerce, and e-payment systems.
