The French city of Bussy-Saint-Georges and the Kampong Chhnang Provincial Administration have co-signed a development and investment cooperation agreement.

The signing was witnessed by Minister of Rural Development Ouk Rabun on November 29, in the presence of Bussy-Saint-Georges city governor Yann Dubosc and provincial governor Sun Sovanrith.

Sovanrith said the agreement was made to further deepen investment and development cooperation, with the province having strong potential in agriculture, tourism and industry.

“This agreement will attract more investors from France,” he said.

He said Kampong Chhnang’s gross domestic product (GDP) for 2021 was about $918 million, accounting for 3.4 per cent of the nation’s total. Agriculture, industry and services respectively represented “more than half”, “one-quarter” and “less than one-fifth” of provincial GDP.

Provincial GDP grew by 3.6 per cent in 2021, with per capita income rising to $1,564 in 2021, from $1,498 in 2020.

Dubosc said that during their visit, delegates from Bussy-Saint-Georges had established an excellent relationship with their Kampong Chhnang counterparts.

He added that the agreement aimed to implement as much development and investment cooperation as possible under the laws of the two countries.

He was very pleased to see the rapid development of the province compared to his previous visit, some years ago.

He said Bussy-Saint-Georges has an industrial area, but its leading sector is education, ranging from pre-schools to universities. As a cooperation partner, he is keen to invest in education in the province.