Industry minister Cham Prasidh (right) invites Thai companies to the March 26-28 expo through Thailand’s ambassador to Cambodia, on February 23. MISTI
The March 26-28 “1st Cambodia-International Science, Technology & Innovation Expo” aims to ensure rapid STI (science, technology and innovation) development and unlock the potential of the field; share knowledge, rules and regulations concerning digital and tech frameworks; and raise awareness of the government’s vision for digital-economy transformations.
In conjunction with the trade fair, Minister of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation Cham Prasidh announced that the ministry is set to hold the inaugural edition of a to-be-annual “National STI Day” on March 26, “based on a top decision of Cambodia’s Royal Government”.
The day will be “observed in order to broaden public understanding of the future growth and long[-term] vision [for the Kingdom’s STI field], particularly to promote STI research work for students, university pupils and Khmer scholars through awards”, the minister said in a February 23 statement.
“This event emphasises the critical need of changing the direction and developing human resources in contemplating and focusing on the STI sector to directly accelerate economic and social progress in Cambodia during the [Fourth] Industrial Revolution and Digital Economy [transformation],” Prasidh added.
And the three-day expo, to be held in the capital’s Koh Pich Exhibition and Convention Centre, “will feature four core events, [namely the] Science Caravan, STI Exhibition, Best Cambodian Scientist 2023, and STI Talk Show”, he said, inviting national and international businesses, producers and others connected to the STI world to take part in the event.
This comes after the industry ministry hosted the Cambodia Tech Expo 2022 (CTX 2022) – a similar event – in the capital from November 11-13, in conjunction with the dual ASEAN Summits held in the Kingdom that year.
CTX 2022 was expected to feature around 400 booths and attract some 60,000 participants from government agencies; NGOs; educational institutions; development partners; telecoms, electronics and tech firms; financial institutions; small- and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups, the ministry noted in early October.
The tax department (GDT) earlier this month reported that it had collected 214.68 billion riel ($53.01 million) in taxes from e-commerce to date since May 2022, with an above-average 36.62 billion riel or $9.04 million in January alone, in a feat seen as a manifestation of the rising trends of online shopping and trading in Cambodia, propelled by the Covid-19 crisis.
