AKP Phnom Penh, January 22, 2026 --

The Annual CEO & Entrepreneur Summit 2026 officially opened in Phnom Penh today, bringing together business leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs from across Asia and beyond to explore investment opportunities, direct business matching, and industrial partnerships in Cambodia.

Opening the summit, H.E. Hem Vanndy, Minister of Industry, Science, Technology & Innovation, highlighted Cambodia’s growing role as a competitive manufacturing and investment hub amid regional supply-chain reconfiguration, emphasising the country’s focus on resilience, sustainability, and higher-value production.

“Cambodia today stands at an important stage of its economic transformation,” Minister Vanndy said, noting that the country’s development trajectory is guided by political stability, sound macroeconomic management, and a strong commitment to private-sector-led growth under the Royal Government’s Pentagonal Strategy.

In 2025, Cambodia approved more than US$ 10 billion in investment capital—the highest level ever recorded—reflecting growing investor confidence in policy predictability, reform momentum, and long-term growth prospects.

As of December 2025, the country had 3,083 factories nationwide—an increase of 658 year on year—forming an increasingly diversified industrial base spanning garments and footwear, agro-processing, electronics, supporting industries, construction materials, and emerging technology-enabled manufacturing.

Minister Vanndy also pointed to strengthened production fundamentals, including in clean energy, noting that over 62 percent of Cambodia’s electricity generation now comes from renewable sources.

“For manufacturers, this transition is not only about environmental responsibility—it directly supports cost stability, supply-chain resilience, ESG compliance, and buyer requirements,” he said, adding that the government is actively promoting energy efficiency, cleaner production, and access to green financing.

Cambodia’s strategic location at the heart of ASEAN provides investors access to a regional and global markets through AFTA, RCEP, bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements, supported by continued investments in infrastructure, logistics corridors, special economic zones, and industrial parks.

Minister Vanndy invited foreign investors to form concrete partnerships with Cambodian enterprises, particularly SMEs ready to scale and integrate into regional and global value chains.

AKP-MISTI