Phnom penh: The Embassy of India in Phnom Penh and the National Institute of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (NIEI) under the Ministry of Labour, Royal Government of Cambodia, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the Quick Impact Project. This project, titled “Procurement of Equipment for Barista and Beverages Training,” took place at the NIEI in Phnom Penh on December 3, 2025.

According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, the MoU was signed by Ambassador of India to Cambodia, H.E. Vanlalvawna Bawitlung, and H.E. Tan Kosal, Director of NIEI. The agreement involves the Government of India providing grant assistance through the Quick Impact Projects (QIP) programme to procure state-of-the-art barista and beverages training equipment for NIEI.

Ambassador Bawitlung highlighted that the support from the QIP will extend beyond providing equipment. It will create opportunities for Cambodian youth, focusing on the 70 percent female trainees targeted by the program, by equipping them with practical skills needed in the barista and beverages industry. This training will prepare them for employment in caf©s, hotels, and restaurants, or to start their own ventures.

The new QIP initiative will supply NIEI with professional coffee machines, grinders, frapp© machines, refrigerators, mixers, and other necessary equipment to transform classrooms into practical training workshops. Annually, over 1,300 students, including 940 women, will receive competency-based training that combines theoretical and practical skills, such as hygiene management and cost control.

Ambassador Bawitlung also reminisced about the institute’s inception in February 2006 as the Cambodia-India Entrepreneurship Development Centre (CIEDC). With support from the Royal Government of Cambodia, it has evolved into a flagship national training institution under the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training. The institute has maintained collaboration with the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) in Ahmedabad.

India’s development approach, which embraces the concept of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,” is human-centric and emphasizes respect, diversity, and sustainable development. Cambodia remains a key partner in India’s Act East Policy. Under the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation framework, India undertakes ten Quick Impact Projects in Cambodia annually, focusing on education, health, women’s empowerment, sanitation, and agriculture. So far, India has sanctioned 64 QIPs in Cambodia, with 47 completed and 17 ongoing.

The signing of this MoU represents another milestone in the cooperative relationship between India and Cambodia, founded on mutual respect and collaboration.