Successful Market Exploration in Cambodia

Activities in the market development programme for SME

*The delegation © Cambodian Water Supply Association (CWA)*

From 27th February to 3rd March 2023, German Water Partnership e.V. (GWP) accompanied a market exploration delegation with the aim to better understand and familiarise itself with the Cambodian water sector and to establish first contacts in the country. GWP cooperation partner and event organiser, the Chamber of Commerce Myanmar, put together an exciting and multifaceted programme for the one-week trip on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK). Thanks to which the participants were able to get a well-rounded first impression of the market.

The Cambodian Water Supply Association (CWA) also played a central part in the organisation and implementation of various on-site appointments. The delegation was accompanied and greatly enriched by colleagues from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), EuroCham Cambodia, Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI) as well as the BMWK and the Asian Development Bank, who participated in numerous agenda items and offered their insights during the initiatory country briefing. Special thanks are also due to the companies participating in the market exploration, namely Dorsch Group, Nivus GmbH and Tholander Ablufttechnik GmbH, whose representatives contributed to the experience through their expertise and industry knowledge as well as their interest in the Cambodian water sector.

First part of the programme held in the greater area of the capital Phnom Penh

*Government Round-Table on Cambodia’s National Water Strategy © CWA*

The first part of the programme took place in the metropolitan area of the capital Phnom Penh. Among the key events that gave the delegation a better understanding of the degree of development and the operating processes within the sector was, next to a visit to the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority and a tour of the Phum Prek drinking water treatment plant, a government round table on Cambodia’s national water strategy. Representatives from the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation, the Ministry of Rural Development, the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology and the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications gave an overview of the status quo and the current challenges of the water sector. Factory tours at Heineken Cambodia and the local producer Kirirom Food Production Co Ltd. offered versatile insights into the handling of water as a resource in an industrial context. In the context of a technical seminar, the participating companies were able to present their products and services to the members of the CWA and to further exchange ideas at the subsequent networking dinner.

The delegation also had exclusive networking opportunities at a reception hosted by Ambassador Stefan Messerer of the German Embassy in Phnom Penh and at an exchange event with German companies that already have many years of experience in the Cambodian water sector.

Siem Reap, heavily influenced by tourism, is the focal point of the second part of the journey

© Cambodian Water Supply Association (CWA)

The second part of the trip took the delegation to Siem Reap, a city heavily influenced by tourism. On the way there, the group was able to get an idea of the water supply in the rural regions of the country. Especially in the more remote parts of the country, Private Water Operators (PWO) play a central role in the supply of drinking water next to the state water suppliers. Lastly, the German delegation was given an insight into various water treatment plants and a sewage treatment plant by the Siem Reap Water Supply Authority.

A big thank you goes to all participants, both from the Cambodian and the German side, for the interesting impressions and the valuable first-hand information. we are hopeful that this was only the starting point for further fruitful cooperation between the water industries of both countries.

The market exploration trip to Cambodia was a project-related funding initiative. It is part of the “Exportinitiative Umwelttechnologien” and is funded within the framework of the market development programme for small and medium-sized German companies.