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Cambodia seeks $536m for public investment

PHNOM PENH: Cambodia is seeking $536 million from its aid donors for 200 public investment projects in various sectors including transport, communications and rural development, a government official said on Monday.

The Consultative Group (CG) of Cambodia's aid donors will meet in Paris in May when it is hoped pledges of support for the projects could be secured, said under-secretary of state at the ministry of planning, Sarak Khan.

"We've prepared 200 projects worth $536 million to propose to the CG meeting," Sarak Khan told a ministry conference. "We're optimistic we'll get more than $500 million as we've proposed."

The 200 projects are all priority projects drawn from a list of more than 1,000, he said.

Cambodia has planned more than $1 billion in public investment over the next three years, including the 200 priority projects, the ministry said in a report.

Planned sector allocations include $331.4 million on health, equal to 23.7 percent of the planned total. A total of $215.4 million, or 15.4 percent, is planned for transport projects.

Education is slated to get $167.9 million, or 12.0 percent, with water resources and sanitation getting $164.7 million, or 11.8 percent. The agriculture sector will get $164.3 million, or 11.7 percent of the total under the plan, the ministry said.-Reuters