Minister of Public Works and Transport Sun Chanthol has requested that Canada examine the possibility of developing human resource development cooperation in the transport infrastructure sector to help its growth.
The request came as he met with Canadian ambassador Sarah Taylor on June 21, according to the ministry.
During the meeting, Chanthol thanked Canada for its cooperation, especially the aid it had provided through the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to refurbish railways in the north and south of the Kingdom.
He also discussed the growth of Cambodia’s infrastructure sector, especially the launch of new railway construction and the Funan Techo Canal project.
He also made mention of Cambodia’s policies and strategies to increase the use of electric vehicles, in order to contribute to a reduction in carbon emissions.
“We are making efforts to develop skilled engineers, to continue the development of the infrastructure and transport sector,” he said.
Chanthol requested that Canada examine the possibility of human resource development cooperation through the Techo Sen Institute of Public Works and Transport (TSI) through training by Canadian infrastructure specialists.
Taylor thanked the Cambodian government and the ministry for their excellent cooperation with Canada.
She extended an invitation to Chanthol to attend Canada Day celebrations in early July, and also mentioned the possibility of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the TSI and Canadian higher educational institutions.
Late last year, Chanthol declared that Cambodia needs to cooperate with different international partners to train the younger generation so the Kingdom will no longer have to rely on foreign engineers for infrastructure development projects.
He also noted that the rapid momentum of the infrastructure means it is well suited for foreign direct investment.
“Cambodia welcomes assistance and is open to foreign investment in all sectors, especially in transport and logistics,” he said.
The ministry has recently requested that Thailand, China, Japan and Singapore examine the possibility of assigning specialists to conduct short courses in person and online, to bolster the TSI’s training of Cambodian engineers.
