Sihanoukville: A working-group meeting on applications for incentives, concessions and procedural facilitation as special incentives for 25 investment projects in Sihanoukville, with total investment of about US$1.017 billion, took place on the morning of January 13, 2026. It was chaired by Academician Dr Hean Sahib, adviser to the Prime Minister and chairman of the Sihanoukville Investment Promotion Working Group.
The meeting agreed in principle to grant special incentives to 24 projects: eight involving stalled buildings, 15 new investment projects and one expansion project. Their total investment was about US$208 million, with an estimated potential to create approximately 3,120 jobs.
The 24 projects include factories producing and assembling cooking equipment, producing oil for the rubber-products processing industry, manufacturing medical supplies and processing fishmeal, as well as multipurpose buildings and communal residential buildings.
Hean Sahib told the meeting that, after the working group agreed in principle to special incentives for projects, the group and relevant ministries and institutions must continue coordinating, addressing problems and requests, and facilitating procedures to deliver actual incentives. These include tax and customs incentives, licences, permits and certificates, company registration and factory-opening declarations, so that investors can conduct their investments smoothly.
He added that the Royal Government had agreed in principle to continue the special investment-promotion programme in Sihanoukville for two years, until the end of 2027, adding four more measures to encourage investment and business activity, with the aim of making the province a model multipurpose special economic zone and a strong economic pole.
On this basis, the working group has four core duties: 1. Grant incentives in principle; 2. Deliver actual incentives; 3. Maximise the use of domestic labour and strengthen the capacity of workers, employees and producers, including skills and technology transfer; 4. Promote the use of domestic raw materials and industrial linkages.
In 2024–2025, the working group agreed in principle to incentives for 412 projects with total investment of about US$7.971 billion and an estimated potential to create 52,004 jobs. These comprised 194 stalled-building projects, 178 new investment projects, 25 expansion projects and 15 existing investment projects.
The Sihanoukville Investment Promotion Working Group encourages businesspeople and investors to submit applications or requests to the group for “special benefits”, including tax incentives, administrative coordination and facilitation of investment-related procedures.
Investors can contact the working-group offices: 1. The Sihanoukville office, on National Road 4, Village 3, Sangkat 1, Sihanoukville city and province, on (+855) 12 902 200, (+855) 89 726 028 or (+855) 16 321 010; 2. The Phnom Penh office, on the 21st floor of the Business Development Centre building in Chroy Changvar district, Phnom Penh, on (+855) 93 858 543. By: Pai Sokhim
