The Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology & Innovation (MISTI) has kickced off its 2024 Review and 2025 Planning Conference on February 25, 2025. The two-day event, attended by approximately 600 leaders and representatives from ministries-institutions, the private sector and development partners, focused on reviewing MISTI’s achievements, challenges and charting the course and priorities for the coming year.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, H.E. Hem Vanndy, Minister of Industry, Science, Technology & Innovation, said: “The conference offered a vital platform for MISTI’s management, civil servants, representatives from relevant ministries-institutions, private sector, and development partners to engage in discussions, share experiences, jointly evaluate and set directions for successful, effective and efficient implementation in 2025.”

MISTI has a broad mandate to lead and manage the development of key sectors, including industry, SMEs and handicrafts, water supply, national quality infrastructure and national productivity, science, technology and innovation (STI), and informal economy.

H.E. Hem Vanndy added, “Despite ongoing challenges in the global economy, Cambodia is capable of maintaining macroeconomic stability, continuously attracting investment to establish factories and enterprises that promotes export-led growth.”

In 2024, the Cambodian economy achieved a growth rate of approximately 6%, with projections indicating a growth of 6.3% in 2025. The industrial sector contributed around 8.5% in 2024, with a forecasted growth of about 8.6% in 2025.

During the first day of the conference, representatives from ministries-institutions, the private sector, development partners and relevant stakeholders discussed the overall theme of industrialization, emphasizing the expansion beyong the garment and textile sectors to other non-traditional industries. Discussions also addressed the need for Cambodia to prepare for its graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status in late 2029, and to build a resilient economic base to navigate the challenges of the middle-income trap.

Conference participants also discussed six strategic, cross-sectoral topics: promoting manufacturing and industrial backward linkages; accelerating the water supply sector to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG6); strengthening national quality infrastructure and productivity; supporting the development of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and entrepreneurship; reforming public services and advancing digitalization, statistics and data building; and science, technology, innovation (STI) and intellectual property.

H.E. Vongsey Vissoth, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister, Minister in Charge of the Office of the Council of Ministers, esteemed representative of Samdech Thipadei Prime Minister, will preside over and deliver a keynote address for the conference’s closing ceremony on February 26, 2025.