AFD in Cambodia

AFD in Cambodia

The Agence Française de Développement (AFD) was given the permission to operate in Cambodia in 1993 and opened an office in Phnom Penh the same year.

PROPARCO, AFD’s subsidiary which is specialised in the financing of the private sector, became active in the country three years later.

In line with its initial mission in Cambodia, AFD first dedicated its funds to the support of the rural sector and the development of the Angkor region. The Group later progressively extended its interventions to urban infrastructure projects (water, electricity).

Since September 2005, the new strategic orientations of the Framework Partnership Document signed between France and the Kingdom of Cambodia has led AFD to focus on 3 specific sectors: health, the environment, and agriculture, also in compliance with the priorities of the CICID (the French Interministerial Committee for Development and International Cooperation, Comité Interministériel de la Coopération Internationale et du Développement ).

In 2009, the CICID decided to restrict all French aid grants to 14 priority countries, other than Cambodia. AFD consequently adapted its interventions in the country towards a support to growth through non sovereign loans to productive sectors, and particularly:

  • agriculture and the agro-industry,
  • irrigation infrastructures,
  • water and electricity infrastructures in urban and rural areas,
  • vocational training in the tourism and garment industry.

AFD’s net cumulative commitment from 1993 to 2010 is of nearly 137 million euros, (excluding PROPARCO’s commitments).