The private sector will meet with Prime Minister Hun Sen in April for the 19th Government-Private Sector Forum, which aims to address issues being faced by the business community.
Lim Heng, vice-president of the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce (CCC) and director of coordination for the forum, said the meeting allows the prime minister to directly engage with business leaders and offer solutions to their problems.
“By meeting with Hun Sen, any big, difficult issues that the local authorities have not been able to solve will be addressed and resolved,” he said.
He said the forum has improved each year since it was introduced and noted that 17 important issues were addressed at last year’s meeting.
He said a reduction of complicated procedures following last year’s meeting sat well with the business community, specifically changes to the Kampuchea Shipping Agency and Brokers and General Department of Import and Export Supervision.
Heng said there are currently 13 private sector working groups discussing topics to be raised for Hun Sen to address at the meeting in April.
However, he has not yet received any information about what the issues would be.
The CCC counts more than 5,000 companies and enterprises as members, Heng said.
The forum has been used by the government as a mechanism for reforming Cambodia’s internal economy, attracting investors and increasing the potential for exports to international markets.
Foreign direct investment to Cambodia totalled $3.588 billion last year, up 11.7 per cent from $3.212 billion in 2018, data from National Bank of Cambodia showed.
