Siem Reap partnered with JICA to become smart city model in Asean

Siem Reap at night - drone footage

The Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is drafting a smart city master plan for Siem Reap city in Siem Reap province, home of famed Angkor Wat Temples, to become a model smart city in ASEAN.

This was disclosed at a meeting yesterday between Tea Seiha, governor of Siem Reap province, and Kamei Haruko, director of JICA to Cambodia. They discussed a draft master plan with a focus on the implementation of a cooperation project for the Smart City project.

JICA’s expert team started the feasibility study more than a year ago for the smart city at the request of the Siem Reap provincial administration.

According to the feasibility study, the draft smart city roadmap focuses on four main areas – Smart Tourism, Smart Security, Smart Mobility and Management, and Smart Waste Management.

The master plan will contribute to transforming Siem Reap city into one of the Smart Cities in the ASEAN Region, Kamei said.

“Siem Reap is a historical and cultural province in Cambodia, a tourist destination that contributes to the national economy, and in the future, it will make Siem Reap a model city in the ASEAN region, a smart city with technology,” she said, adding that smart management will definitely contribute to the development of Siem Reap.

After Siem Reap city was included in the ASEAN Smart Cities Network in 2018, the Siem Reap Provincial Administration began working to increaseing public urban infrastructure projects to facilitate people’s travel, enhance the beauty of the city, as well as implementat of ASEAN Smart City Development Plan, Sieha said.

The smart city project from JICA will not only make the city a smart city but also build the capacity of human resources for local officials and authorities to take on technology and digital management skills. Khmer Times