AKP Phnom Penh, December 03, 2025 —

The Embassy of India in Phnom Penh and National Institute of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (NIEI) under Ministry of Labour, Royal Government of Cambodia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the Quick Impact Project: Procurement of Equipment for Barista and Beverages Training at the National Institute of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (NIEI), Phnom Penh on Dec. 3, 2025. 

The MoU was inked by H.E. Vanlalvawna Bawitlung, Ambassador of India to Cambodia and H.E. Tan Kosal, Director NIEI. 

According to the Embassy, under the MoU, the Government of India will extend a grant assistance through the Quick Impact Projects (QIP) programme to procure modern, industry-standard barista and beverages training equipment for NIEI. 

On this occasion, Ambassador Bawitlung said that the support under the new QIP will go beyond machines and tools, to create opportunity and equip Cambodia’s young women and men—especially the 70 percent female trainees targeted under this programme—with practical, market-ready skills in the field of Barista and Beverages, that will enable them to confidently work in cafés, hotels, and restaurants, or even start their own businesses.

Under the new QIP, NIEI will receive professional coffee machines, grinders, frappé machines, refrigerators, mixers — everything needed to turn classrooms into real-world workshops. More than 1,300 students every year — 940 of them women — will gain competency-based training that combines theory with daily practice including hygiene management, cost control & other skills needed to develop expertise in this sector. 

In his address, H.E. Ambassador also recalled that almost twenty years ago, in February 2006, NIEI began its journey as the Cambodia–India Entrepreneurship Development Centre (CIEDC), one of four centres established with India’s technical assistance under the Initiative for ASEAN Integration for the CLMV countries. With the strong support of the Royal Government of Cambodia, it has grown into the National Institute of Entrepreneurship and Innovation—now a flagship national training institution under the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training. Over the years, it has also closely collaborated with the  Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) in Ahmedabad.
 
India has been sharing its developmental experiences and technical expertise with other countries in the spirit of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”. India’s approach to development is human-centric and marked by Respect, Diversity, Care for the future and Sustainable development. 

Cambodia remains a valued partner in India’s Act East Policy. Under the Mekong–Ganga Cooperation framework, India implements ten Quick Impact Projects in Cambodia every year in priority areas including education, health, women’s empowerment, sanitation, and agriculture. To date, India has sanctioned 64 QIPs in Cambodia, of which 47 have been successfully completed and 17 are currently under implementation. 

The signing of this MoU is another step in this collaborative effort between India and Cambodia, guided by spirit of cooperation and mutual respect.

AKP