As Cambodia’s technology sector continues to grow, most people—from universities, businesses and the government—want to get involved in what some analysts say could be a fast-track to the country’s development.
Even international aid and development organizations want a hand in the ever-expanding field. At a technology meeting last week attended by aid groups, the government and businesses, UN Development Program Deputy Resident Representative Ladislaus Byenkya-Abwooli compared the international effort to develop Cambodia’s technology industry to a tiny mustard seed.
“This is a small seed now and it will turn into a large tree. Far down the road we will see how large the tree is,” he said as he handed over a $12,000 contribution to help pay for a national technology seminar next month.
The upcoming seminar, scheduled to begin Sept 11, is titled “IT Awareness Seminar” and will bring together participants from all sectors in Cambodia to discuss technology and information technology. The seminar is part of a larger national and international effort to develop Cambodia’s technology sector.
The younger generation of Cambodians is already getting involved. The fastest growing program at the Cambodia Institute of Technology, Phnom Penh’s premier technical school, is the degree in computer engineering and communications. Starting salaries for tech graduates from Cambodia’s Institute of Technology are as high as $300 a month depending on specialty, industrial counselor Hubert DeFossez said.
Currently, about 50 companies, including Alcatel, Nestle, Caltex and Total, offer students internships to receive hands-on training, and in return the companies get first choice at hiring workers they know have the experience.
The government is also getting involved in the sector.
Last year, it formed the National Information Communication Technology Development Authority, chaired by Prime Minister Hun Sen. The premier signed a loan agreement with South Korean President Kim Dae Jung in April for $20 million to jump-start the project, said Leewood Phu, NIDA secretary-general.
The agreement, referred to as the Economic Development Cooperation Fund, will install or update ministry computers and Internet services, and to begin a program to bring Cambodia’s car, land, and resident registrations online.
Foreign firms, such as South Korea’s Samsung, are starting to expand in Cambodia. IBM-Singapore is scheduled to attend the technology seminar.
“Right now, we are heading in the same direction of Ireland. We might not have the infrastructure for huge development yet, but we have the human resources,” Leewood Phu said.
Less than 20 years ago, Ireland suffered double-digit unemployment, stagnating incomes and a lagging economy. Irish businessmen, government officials and economic developers began a country-wide effort to restructure ailing industries, convince talented expatriates to return home, and to integrate technology into the economy.
Ireland’s economy is now one of the fastest growing in the world. Its technology industry and productivity levels are among the highest in Europe. The Irish software industry consists of 700 firms that employ more than 18,000 people. It is the fifth largest producer and second largest exporter of packaged software in the world—second only to the US, experts say.
While stark differences between Cambodia and Ireland undoubtedly exist, Ireland could be used as a model, Phu said.
“In Cambodia, we don’t have a strong industrial base—only the garment industry. But we have cheaper labor and a strong workforce, and we could expand to [handle] data entry jobs for US companies,” Leewood Phu said.
One US company, Digital Divide Data Entry, has already started a program hiring Cambodians for basic data entry work at $50 a month. It is an encouraging first step, Phu said.
“The people here are eager to learn,” he said. “They might not be as good as students or workers in the US, but they are competent.”
