Women's Leadership in Business Highlighted at Cambodia Trade Expo 2025

• The second day of CTExpo 2025 featured a forum on women's leadership in business
• The event has emphasized women's potential in developing Cambodia's commercial sector
• The forum entitled “Women in Commerce” was organized by the Gender Working Group

On the second day of CTExpo 2025, focused on the impact of women leading in business, the "Women in Commerce" Forum celebrated the importance of women to the Cambodian economy and ways to create new opportunities for women entrepreneurs.

The forum brought together representatives from government, private sector, development organisations, and finance institutions to work on how to support women who want to start or expand a business.

According to Serei Borapich, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Commerce, in her keynote address, women have played an important role in the growth of the Cambodian economy throughout its history.

However, many women in Cambodia who operate micro, small & medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and micro, small, and medium enterprises are not yet able to participate fully in the marketplace because they are unable to access the essential elements of doing business, such as goods and services, credit, and technology.

Barriers still exist that prevent women from fully participating in the economy, including limited access to financial resources, digital literacy skills, information, and networking opportunities.

To ensure that Cambodia is able to compete on a global scale, it is necessary to pull more women into the business sector.

The President of the Cambodian Women Entrepreneurs Association (CWEA), Chan Pheary, highlighted that while there has been an increase in women-led businesses, many are still struggling on many different levels to be able to scale, access export markets and understand regulatory processes. 

In addition to this, Chan discussed how providing women with support systems, such as mentorship, training and access to inclusive financing, is essential in order for women to grow from subsistence level enterprises to enterprise-oriented businesses.

Furthermore, the topics of digital transformation and financial literacy were reiterated as important topics for women in business.

The role of development partners and financial institutions in supplying initiatives such as capacity-building programs, credit schemes for MSMEs and platforms that connect women to regional markets was discussed.

The forum also consisted of several women leaders presenting their experiences and successes through panel discussions to inspire younger women to follow their examples and pursue entrepreneurial and leadership opportunities.