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Cambodia: Draft digital policy speeding up
The government is speeding up its draft digital policy to adapt the economy to e-government.
Minister of Post and Telecommunications Chea Vandeth was joined by the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) Secretary of State Vongsey Vissoth to discuss the government’s digital policy concept note.
The discussion was joined by chairman and members of the draft digital government policy working group and relevant ministry officials, according to the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications.
Vandeth said that digital government encapsulates the modernisation of government systems and public service management through digital technologies to facilitate public administrative duties, decision-making processes and public service provision to the general public, private sector and relevant institutions in an efficient, transparent, accountable and inclusive manner.
“The development of digital government serves as a primary prerequisite for Cambodia, both in the present and future, to prepare for full digital economy engagement, the fourth industrial revolution and globalisation through digital technology utilisation,” he said.
Vissoth praised the progress of the drafting of the concept note, saying that digital government is a crucial component of a digital economy.
“The development of a digital economy would need to go alongside the setup of a unified governance system through which all ministries and institutions fulfill their duties electronically,” he said.
Vandeth has urged relevant officials and working group members to expedite the completion of the draft concept note.
The report from the Telecommunication Regulator of Cambodia (TCR) shows that there were 14.8 million mobile internet subscribers – 90 percent of Cambodia’s population – as of May this year, a decrease of 2.3 percent compared with the same period last year.
The total registered SIM card users during the same period was 20.4 million – 124 percent of the population – a downturn of 0.08 percent. The number of landline phone users dropped by 21 percent to 52,480.
Speaking at the national consultation workshop on Policy and Direction of Cambodia’s Digital Economy in 2019, Minister of Economy and Finance Aun Pornmoniroth said Cambodia’s digital economy remains in its infancy and will need at least 10 years to grow and aim for a technology-driven economy.
He said the Kingdom’s digital economy has been gradually taking shape and creating new business activities in digital payment, online entertainment and e-commerce while increasing the number of users who adapt themselves to such technologies.
With a digital policy, the government will develop and implement a long-term strategic framework, serving as an overall guide to developing a digital economy and creating a robust digital environment that allows both small and large firms in the Kingdom to connect to the global digital economy value chain.
The ministry of Post and Telecommunications also discussed the review and revision of the postal draft law to replace the 2002 postal law in response to the current technological development of postal sector.
The Ministry will implement related documents from countries in the region such as the Asian-Pacific Postal Union and Universal Postal Union to help draft the new law.
Source: https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50749967/draft-digital-policy-speeding-up/