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The USAID Cambodia MSME Project facilitates technical and business assistance to thousands of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in rural Cambodia. Through this assistance, businesses learn new technical and business skills. They become more productive and competitive. New skills provide them the incentive to overcome technical constraints, make productive investments, and serve markets well. For the first time, many enterprises receiving assistance begin to make profits and understand their contribution to the value chain in which they are engaged.
New understanding provides them the confidence to begin working alongside other firms serving the value chain and to better comprehend what is needed to get the right products and services to the end consumer. This new confidence leads to improved business-to-business and business-to-government relationships and the tackling of problems that keep firms less competitive than product and service providers in other regions of Cambodia and importers from foreign countries.
Currently, the project concentrates on facilitating technical assistance to nine product sectors, including: aquaculture, swine, clay tile, safe drinking water and latrines, skills development to the garment industry, honey, resin, eco-tourism, high-quality fruits.
Because governments have such a significant role to play in providing an enabling business environment, The MSME team also facilitates technical assistance to officers of the Royal Government of Cambodia. This assistance improves dialogue between government officers at the national and provincial levels, gives them the incentive to understand business issues, and supports the development of well-crafted regulations that promote business investments and competition.
The USAID Cambodia MSME Project is a gift to Cambodia from the American People. It is implemented by Development Alternatives, Inc., (DAI) and a consortium of supportive partners that possess the skills and understanding of the Cambodian business environment and are dedicated to improving the lives of thousands of rural Cambodian businesses. Cambodia MSME Consortium partners include Nathan Associates, Equal Access, International Development Enterprises (IDE), Emerging Markets Consulting (EMC), Indochina Research Limited (IRL) and Development Training and Services (dTS).
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