Cambodia to Establish Productive Economy Community to Boost Industrial Output

PHNOM PENH, Sept. 23, 2026 (KPT) — Cambodia is moving to establish a Cambodia Productive Economy Community (CPEC) aimed at strengthening national economic and industrial productivity through closer cooperation between government, private companies and industries, officials said Wednesday. The initiative was discussed Tuesday during a meeting of the National Productivity Committee of Cambodia (NPCC) at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Aun Pornmoniroth. The meeting reviewed a conceptual framework for the development and innovation of the CPEC, designed to set out a clear vision for Cambodia’s productivity agenda and the policy measures of the NPCC. Officials said the framework would help coordinate objectives and targets across government programmes, projects and action plans. The plan calls for greater participation from private companies and enterprises in strengthening cooperation and building trust, particularly in pursuing strategic investment goals and productivity targets. Under the proposed mechanism, responsibilities and functions would be defined for developing and implementing sector‑specific programmes aimed at continuously improving productivity. The initiative also seeks to create mechanisms for technical and operational cooperation between the NPCC and private sector partners. Officials said such cooperation would reinforce the implementation of NPCC programmes and strengthen monitoring and evaluation systems. According to the framework, the CPEC would support continuous improvements in measuring, assessing and analysing productive capacity and performance across Cambodia’s economic and industrial sectors. The move comes as Cambodia prepares for graduation from Least Developed Country status by 2029, with officials stressing that productivity gains are essential to sustaining growth, boosting competitiveness and driving industrial transformation.