Cambodia Investment Review
Swisscontact Cambodia has announced a change in leadership as Mr. Rajiv Pradhan prepares to depart for Ghana to establish a new Swisscontact office. Dr. Daniel Setiawan Nugraha has assumed the role of Country Director for Swisscontact Cambodia as of August 1, 2024.
Since Swisscontact’s establishment in Cambodia almost nine years ago, Mr. Pradhan’s leadership has been instrumental in achieving several key milestones. In January 2016, the Swisscontact Cambodia office was established with Mr. Pradhan as the Country Director. Swisscontact started its operations with the Cambodia Horticulture Advancing Income and Nutrition (CHAIN) project in partnership and led by SNV Netherlands Development Organisation.
Later that year, in July, Swisscontact secured the Skills Development Programme (SDP) of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). In 2017, the Mekong Inclusive Growth and Innovation Programme (MIGIP) was developed and implemented to promote agricultural technologies. Recognising the opportunities to support investors, Swisscontact created and managed the USAID-funded Regional Investment Support for Entrepreneurs (RISE) platform in 2018.
Significant Contributions In Five Ecosystems
During the MIGIP, Swisscontact identified a focus on agroecology transition for farmers, which led to the creation of the Innovation for Sustainable Agriculture (ISA) Project in 2021. Collaboration with partners to complement the ISA work was notable, including initiating transition financing with Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD) and securing a credible technical partnership. In 2022, the Entrepreneurship in Ecosystem Building (EEB) project, jointly funded by Khmer Enterprise and USAID, was launched.
In 2023, Swisscontact successfully implemented the Improving Small Package e-trade for Small and Medium Enterprises (SeT4SME) project initiated by the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation (GATF) of the World Economic Forum (WEF) gaining recognition for its work with SMEs in Cambodia. In the same year, the Enhancing Entrepreneurial Ecosystem and Investments (3Ei) initiative was launched, building on the experience gained from the RISE and EEB projects. 3Ei is supported by Khmer Enterprises, SDC, and Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). The Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) is a strategic partner of 3Ei.
Through these and various other projects, Swisscontact has made significant contributions in five ecosystems: skills, agroecology, entrepreneurship, hospitality, and trade through a private sector engagement and a systems re-engineering approach. This re-engineering approach supports enabling system actors to adopt and adapt different initiatives, ensuring long-term sustainability of activities. This would then ensure a recurring positive impact.
Strong Impact on Cambodian SMEs
To date, approximately 81,000 smallholder farmers have benefited directly and indirectly. In addition, 217 SMEs have been supported, 65% of which are women-owned businesses. Swisscontact has supported 16,824 disadvantaged youth and low-skilled workers, 47% of whom are women. The organisation worked with 34 public sector partners, 16 private sector partners, and approximately 1,456 provincial private sector partners through the SDP public sector partners.
The Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) also awarded Mr. Rajiv Pradhan and Swisscontact the SAHAMETRI Medal on June 21, 2022, for “exceptional contribution to the field of Conservation Agriculture (CA) and Sustainable Intensification (SI)”. Swisscontact works closely with the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (MLVT), Ministry of Tourism (MoT), Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), Ministry of Commerce (MoC), Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS).
As Dr. Daniel Setiawan Nugraha takes over as the new Country Director, Swisscontact anticipates further contributions to the Cambodian ecosystems. An agricultural economist by training, Dr. Daniel brings nearly two decades of international development experience and valuable expertise in SME promotion and agricultural development. Swisscontact Cambodia looks forward to continued success and regional recognition.
