Phnom Penh, March 26, 2019 –Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, has highlighted the advantages and disadvantages of digital progress.
While presided over here this morning the opening ceremony of the13th Cambodia Outlook Conference, the Premier said digital technology can boost growth and effectiveness while create unemployment, inequality in receiving benefits, and increase vulnerabilities to cybercrimes.
Themed “Digital Transformation towards Industry 4.0”, the 2019 Cambodia Outlook Conference attracted 350 participants including thought leaders, national and regional experts, academics and researchers, government officials, representatives of international development partners, private sector, and the civil society organisations.
Samdech Techo Hun Sen expressed his high appreciation to the Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI) for introducing this theme, saying that it is timely and relevant to the current situation.
According to CDRI, with the rise of the industry 4.0, digital transformation could be the new growth engine that Cambodia needs to realise its long-term vision of becoming an upper-middle income country by 2030 and a high income country by 2050.
The subthemes aimed to trigger a frank exchange of views on how to seize digital transformation opportunities to underpin Cambodia’s long-term growth and development trajectory and elicit ideas on building a solid foundation for Cambodia’s digital strategy.
There were four main discussion sessions which addressed the questions around: The state of digital transformation – where are we now? What should we do to catalyze the transformation? What are the key strategies required? How do we promote digital literacy and develop tech talent for digital transformation?
Digital disruption and job suppression and creation were also be discussed, said the same source. Additionally, to showcase digital technology and innovation in action, CDRI in partnership with UNDP Cambodia brought AI robot Sophia to the conference.
Successive phases of the rectangular strategy have put more and more focus on technological advancement, innovation and education quality. Still greater efforts must be made to support the creation of the enabling environment required for digital development. That calls for greater investment in technology and innovation, capable and qualified human resources and stronger rules, regulations and standards.
The Cambodia Outlook Conference 2019 aimed to make an important contribution to policy design to practice for our country’s development.
By Khan Sophirom
