ODI and CDRI, July 2020
Cambodia has advanced significantly towards the digital economy. The Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) is developing a long-term strategic framework to support it. This move towards a digital economy cannot come soon enough for Cambodia. The current corona virus outbreak, threats to withdraw trade preferences, and a ban on online gambling have laid bare the fragility of Cambodia’s development success. Over the past few months, construction and gambling activities have tumbled, tourism has fallen sharply, and Cambodia’s garments face $100 million of additional duties in the EU after withdrawal of trade preferences in August 2020. Cambodia is looking for a broader base to transform and recover in an inclusive way from the coronavirus crisis.
Digital transformation is a promising area, but it does not automatically support all members of society to the same extent. Complementary measures that include skills development are critical to make digital transformation inclusive. This briefing discusses Cambodia’s digital profile and policies and examples of the current and expected distributional impacts of its digital transformation; and proposes a range of policy areas to enhance a more inclusive transformation.
Photo: Use of information technology and communications to promote digital transformation. Simone D. McCourti/ World Bank . Licence: (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)