Working Group C holds 4th meeting to improve business environment

Working Group C holds 4th meeting to improve business environment

The Royal Government and representatives from the manufacturing, small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) and services sectors met yesterday to identify practical solutions for improving Cambodia’s business environment during the fourth meeting of Working Group “C” under the Government-Private Sector Forum.

The private sector raised 13 key challenges impacting business operations, including salt production and imports, access to finance, investment incentives, electricity costs, business licensing procedures, environmental regulation enforcement, skilled labour shortages, cashew processing, product certification, informal economy enterprise development, and regulatory compliance for online businesses to ensure fair competition.

Opening the session, Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation and Co-Chair of Working Group “C” Minister Hem Vanndy highlighted the forum’s core purpose as an effective mechanism for delivering tangible results.

“The value of this Government-Private Sector Forum mechanism lies not in the number of issues raised, but in our ability to transform challenges into solutions that are clear, actionable and measurable,” the Minister said.

“The challenges faced by the private sector do not always stem from the absence of policies or regulations. In many cases, they arise from the gap between policy, implementation and the practical realities experienced by businesses.”

Conducted in an open and constructive atmosphere, the meeting reviewed and addressed all proposals at both technical and policy levels.

Participants agreed on specific follow-up measures, including simplifying regulatory procedures, accelerating the digitalisation of public services, supporting informal economy operators, expanding industry-driven skills development, delivering technical and financial support to enterprises, enhancing inter-agency coordination, and establishing monitoring frameworks to ensure effective implementation.

Working Group “C” serves as a dedicated platform for the Royal Government and private enterprises to jointly tackle policy and regulatory hurdles across the manufacturing, SME and services sectors, strengthening national competitiveness and promoting private sector growth.

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