A launch ceremony was held on October 28, presided over by industry minister Cham Prasidh and attended by representatives of embassies, ministries and other state institutions, international organisations and the private sector. FACEBOOK
The Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation has rolled out the KhmerSME website to provide micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSME) access to comprehensive business information, as well as ASEAN and global markets.
The website is primarily designed to build and strengthen the production, operational and service capacities of MSMEs – with emphasis on growing micro businesses into small enterprises – and promote effective competition in the interest of consumers.
A launch ceremony was held on October 28, presided over by industry minister Cham Prasidh and attended by representatives of embassies, ministries and other state institutions, international organisations and the private sector.
The website “will accelerate the capacities and development of MSMEs in Cambodia to become a driving force and thereby contribute to resilient economic growth and social development”, according to the ministry.
The ministry developed the website, which it terms a “national digital information platform”, in collaboration with Germany’s Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Interationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
The site will be linked to the ASEAN Access portal, which was launched on June 16 to serve MSMEs in the region.
Prasidh said KhmerSME aims to provide MSMEs and aspiring entrepreneurs with valuable information regarding a wide range of topics such as laws and regulations; technical training; science, technology, and innovation transfer; access to finance and markets; starting a business; and incentives to cultivate inclusive business practices, boost efficiency and create a competitive advantage.
“Based on this context, the Royal Government has enhanced local enterprises, especially SMEs, as a priority sector that can help restore the national economy, by identifying a number of products as strategic commodities for the Royal Government to meet the daily needs of the people.
“As a result, all products require a degree of quality and safety for the sake of end users, so the KhmerSEM website, a digital information platform, is very important for MSMEs to gather the necessary information and other important particulars as needed to develop quality and safe products in line with Cambodian standards,” he said in a statement.
Hort Pheng, director-general of the ministry’s General Department of SMEs and Handicrafts, said MSMEs play an important role in spurring Cambodia’s economic growth, although most have yet to register with the authorities.
Business owners often find it tough to get hold of essential viable business-related information, notably in areas such as law, markets, business operations and networking, credit and finance, human resource development, and regional competition, he said, voicing optimism that KhmerSME would make a meaningful difference to the wider community.
According to the ministry, there are about 520,000 small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in Cambodia. About 150,000 are registered as manufacturing entities.
The website can be accessed at khmersme.gov.kh.
