The Council of Ministers on Friday approved a draft of a three-year public investment program to be organized by the Ministry of Planning. The program is intended to help prioritize public investment opportunities in Cambodia.
The government has listed two main public investment priorities—the social sector and the economic sector. According to a Council of Ministers statement issued Friday, the government will earmark $663.3 million for investment in the economic sector, which includes telecommunications and the framework for the microfinance institutions.
The government will also set aside $1.08 billion for investment in the social sector, which includes infrastructure programs and a plan to stabilize currency.
Government figures show a total of 327 investment projects in the 2003 to 2005 investment program. Seventy-nine of the projects are active projects valued at $798.7 million; nine of the projects under consideration are valued at $96.7 million; 239 projects considered by the government as “high-priority investment plans” are valued at $854.6 million.
The Council of Ministers figures also show the percentage breakdown of the investment programs. According to its figures, at least 2.7 percent of public investment in the priority programs will go to the health sector while 21.5 percent goes to transportation; 13.1 percent goes to the education sector, 9.3 percent goes to water resources and 9.2 percent is earmarked for agriculture.
The investment plan also sets aside 5.5 percent of the public investment for the upcoming national elections, scheduled for July 27. Another 0.5 percent of the investment will go to reforms in legal and administrative, taxation and provincial courts, among others.
The telecommunications sector will also get a share, with 2.7 percent of the investment going to cable optic services in remote areas.