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Estimating the Market Size for New Products

Quantifying the market size, and other demand factors, for new products and services is important for both firms and development partners. This blog post focuses on EMC work to identify key market segments, total demand and buying behaviour for a new ‘advanced cookstove’, introduced by SNV. However, this new product costs approximately twenty times more than the traditional cookstoves commonly available in local markets. So, for a successful introduction it was critical to understand how many consumers could afford such a product,...

Vietnam’s entrepreneurial ecosystem – new perspectives

The Dutch Good Growth Fund (DGGF), in cooperation with the Embassy of the Netherlands in Vietnam, partnered with EMC Consulting, the Mekong Business Initiative, Vietnam Angel Investor Network, and Saigon Innovation Hub to gather local stakeholders in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, to discuss new perspectives on Vietnam's entrepreneurial ecosystem. On 15 and 17 May 2018, local stakeholders from Vietnam’s entrepreneurial ecosystem gathered at two workshops in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to share their appreciation of the...

Human trafficking in Lao PDR – who is vulnerable?

After more than 15 years of strong economic growth, the official poverty rate in the Lao PDR has declined significantly. Nevertheless, there remain many districts throughout the country with very high rates of poverty. In addition, many Lao people live just above the poverty line. These people are vulnerable to falling back below it in the event of agricultural or health shocks. This can make them vulnerable to human trafficking. Lao PDR labour market The Lao labour market is characterized by a...

The Financing Gap Faced by SMEs

This post on the financing gap is based on EMC Consulting’s 2018-19 work for the Dutch Good Growth Fund (DGGF) ‘Investment Fund Local SMEs’, an initiative of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The study was commissioned to better understand the ‘missing middle’ in the Mekong region – those businesses that have outgrown microfinancing but do not yet have access to conventional financial services. We used the ANDE framework for analysing countries' entrepreneurial ecosystems. In-depth country studies were undertaken in...

SMEs in the Mekong Region are not all alike

This post is based on EMC Consulting’s 2018-19 work for the Dutch Good Growth Fund (DGGF) ‘Investment Fund Local SMEs’, an initiative of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The study was commissioned to better understand the ‘missing middle’ in the Mekong region – those SMEs that have outgrown microfinancing but do not yet have access to conventional financial services. We used the ANDE framework for analysing countries' entrepreneurial ecosystems. In-depth country studies were undertaken in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar...

WE Act Empowers Women Entrepreneurs

Emerging Markets Consulting (EMC) is supporting Pact Cambodia on the WE Act project that is seeking to help young women entrepreneurs achieve their full potential. Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), this five-year program is focusing on urban-based micro or small businesses and aspiring women entrepreneurs between the ages of 15 and 35. WE Act aims to address key challenges to their businesses through strengthening business skills, expanding their professional network, increasing access to relevant information, financing,...

Lao PDR SME: Opportunities

Lao PDR has grown relatively rapidly, but needs to focus on the non-resource sector to innovate, diversify its economy and generate more inclusive wealth. SME are a key component of that strategy. Boosting Lao PDR SME As Lao PDR is a small (6.7 M) land locked country, but conveniently located and part of ASEAN, a lot of growth will require developing stronger, value added exports. This journey begins with dramatically improving the enabling environment to start up and grow small and medium...

Lao’s entrepreneurial ecosystem – new perspectives

The Dutch Good Growth Fund (DGGF), with partners EMC Consulting and Toh Lao Coworking Space (Toh-X), gathered local stakeholders in Vientiane Capital to discuss new perspectives on Lao's entrepreneurial ecosystem. On 13 July 2018, the local stakeholders from Lao’s entrepreneurial ecosystem gathered at a workshop in Vientiane Capital to share their appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of the ecosystem and elaborate together potential solutions to contribute to a more conducive operating environment for local entrepreneurs and their businesses. Over...

Myanmar’s entrepreneurial ecosystem

The Dutch Good Growth Fund (DGGF), in cooperation with the Embassy of the Netherlands in Myanmar, partners with EMC Consulting, the ANDE, Micro Empire and Impact Hub Yangon, gathered local stakeholders in Yangon to discuss new perspectives on Myanmar's entrepreneurial ecosystem. On 12 June 2018, local stakeholders from Myanmar’s entrepreneurial ecosystem gathered at Impact Hub Yangon to share their appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of the ecosystem and elaborate together potential solutions to contribute to a more conducive operating...

Cambodia’s entrepreneurial ecosystem – new perspectives

The Dutch Good Growth Fund (DGGF), in cooperation with EMC Consulting and Cambodian Women Entrepreneurs Association, gathered local stakeholders to discuss new perspectives on Cambodia's entrepreneurial ecosystem. On 12th December 2017, local stakeholders from Cambodia’s entrepreneurial ecosystem gathered in Phnom Penh to share their appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of the ecosystem and elaborate together potential solutions to contribute to a more conducive operating environment for local entrepreneurs and their businesses. 34 representatives from financial institutions, business associations, development...

Giving Credit Where Credit’s Due..

World Bank Doing Business Cambodia has barely budged with overall ranking declining slightly from 131 to 135 (2017 v 2018). There are many things of interest to comment on in WB DB stats. What's particularly interesting, for purposes of this post, is Cambodia's extraordinary performance in the metric 'Getting Credit', where it scores 20th of 190 economies world-wide. That is ahead of not only the Mekong family (Lao PDR 79, Myanmar 177) but wealthy ASEAN cousins (Singapore, 29) and my home...

energy efficiency

Energy Efficiency – Cambodia’s Industrial Sector

Energy Efficiency improves a firm's competitiveness (less cost) and the environment we all share (less emissions). This blog post summarizes the energy and energy efficiency situation in Cambodia. It's a summary of the initial phase of a pre-feasibility study (PFS) for a 'fund' to encourage Cambodian SME to invest in energy efficiency. EMC completed the original study for the National Council for Sustainable Development (Royal Government of Cambodia) and the Global Green Growth Institute. The study was motivated by the earlier...

Governance in Mining Sector

Governance of Cambodia’s Mining Industry

EMC report, Cambodia's Mineral Exploration Licensing Process: Governance Risk Assessment aims to identify and analyse governance risks associated with the process for granting mineral exploration license in Cambodia. The study is in line with the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) efforts to improve the governance system in mining sector and their recently adopted initiative to enhance effectiveness of the Ministerial Exploration Process. This assessment was conducted by Emerging Markets Consulting (EMC) with support from Transparency International Cambodia (TI-Cambodia), using the...

Lao PDR: The Labor Shortage

Labor and Skills shortage is one of 4 particular hurdles faced by SME in Lao PDR, according to our report "Business Formalization in Lao PDR". The post looks at causes and the impact on firms' competitiveness and the economy. Labor and Skills Shortage A clear finding of this study is that shortages of labor and skills are among the biggest constraints facing the private sector in the Lao PDR. Whereas a shortage of skilled labor is a challenge common to many developing...

Informal SME in Lao PDR

Many businesses in Lao PDR remain informal, and struggle to grow into medium-sized and large businesses that are capable of providing decent work for large numbers of Lao PDR citizens. This is 2 of 3 blog posts based on our recent report "Business Formalization in the Lao PDR". Growing Small and Medium Sized Firms (SME) The private sector in the Lao PDR is highly fragmented. Official figures for registered enterprises show that small enterprises (1-19 employees) comprise about 99% of all enterprises...

Economic Growth In Lao PDR

This blog, taken from EMC report "Business Formalization in Lao PDR" (Sept 2016) considers whether Lao PDR's strong rates of economic growth are masking some underlying weaknesses in the productivity and profitability of many private sector enterprises, and in particular SME. Economic Performance The macroeconomic performance of the Lao Peoples' Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) has been remarkably strong and stable over a sustained period of time. In the decade to 2015, the economy grew by an average of 7.8% per year, with...

SMEs’ use of finance – CLMV

As part of our work for the Dutch Good Growth Fund #ClosingTheGap series, we analysed 2016 data from the World Bank's Enterprise Surveys to paint a nuanced picture of  small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam. SMEs are not a homogeneous group. Hence their finance and development needs are different. SMEs' use of financial services differs not just across the four countries, but according to the type of SME. We segment SMEs according to their size and growth into a number...

Obstacles faced by SMEs in CLMV

As part of our work for the Dutch Good Growth Fund #ClosingTheGap series, we analysed data from the World Bank's Enterprise Surveys to understand the obstacles faced by small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam. In-depth country studies were undertaken in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam. SMEs are not a homogeneous group. They report different obstacles and constraints - depending on their location, their size, and other characteristics. And these obstacles change over time. Business obstacles by country and size Access...

Cambodia’s SMEs

As part of our work for the Dutch Good Growth Fund #ClosingTheGap series, we have analysed 2016 data from the World Bank's Enterprise Surveys to paint a nuanced picture of Cambodia's small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs). SMEs are not a homogeneous group. Hence their financing and development needs are different. Finding the Gazelles Segmenting Cambodia's SMEs by size and growth highlights that the majority are small and low-growth ("necessity entrepreneurs"), but a small number are larger and faster-growing ("Small growing businesses" and "Gazelles").   Source:...

Cambodia: Reducing the gender gap

Women make a major contribution to the Cambodian economy, including by owning and managing the majority of businesses. Yet they face a number of particular barriers. Women are more likely to be illiterate and less likely to have completed primary and secondary education than men. This means they face greater challenges in business registration and obtaining and interpreting business regulations and information. Social norms can make it more difficult for women to interact with male government officials. Hence there may...

Unlocking Cambodia’s Potential

Our report 'Unlocking the Potential of the Cambodian Private Sector' has been published here. This study was carried out under the Mekong Business Initiative project (MBI). The MBI is a regional technical assistance project funded by the Government of Australia and the Asian Development Bank. This article is a summary of the report. Cambodia’s economic performance has been strong for more than a decade, with real GDP growth averaging around 8% per year since 2001. Poverty rates have fallen, literacy and primary...

Women in the Construction Sector

In an interview with EMC, Srey Nich*[1] stated that men are paid higher than females because “they can do a greater variety of tasks… and are more skillful.” She also stated that “men are more absent than women because they go back to their hometowns. Female construction workers are not absent, but the manager may tell her she is no longer needed because there is no work for her.” The undervaluing of women in the workplace is a global problem that...

Green Growth Policy

Green Growth Policy in Cambodia

This blog summarizes the frameworks and institutions (as of mid-2016) of the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) relevant to green growth policy, climate change, energy efficiency and SME development in general. It comes from the inception report to a EMC Prefeasibility Study (PFS) for a 'Fund' to encourage Cambodian SME to invest in energy efficiency technology. It is not an assessment - simply a useful summary of instruments and institutions. It is fair to say that in key areas the intent and...

USAID counter trafficking in persons (CTIP)

Emerging Markets Consulting (EMC) is very pleased to contribute to CTIP and look forward to successful collaboration. CTIP will work with civil society, governments and private sector to reduce human trafficking in Asia. The program will initially focus on human trafficking in the Lower Mekong countries of Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam as well as Bangladesh. Recent examples of EMC relevant work include: Economic motivation for outbound migration from Cambodia (USAID) Job opportunities for migrant workers in Myanmar Impact of...

Financing Development of Bangladesh Garment Sector

Low safety conditions in the Bangladesh Ready Made Garment (RMG) sector cost lives in the past few years. How much does it cost to make all factories safe and what is stopping factories from doing so? Bangladesh is one of largest apparel exporters in the world. In the 1980s, about 50 factories produced clothing, while the number is now estimated to hover around 4,269[1]. Production of Ready Made Garment (RMG) is crucial to the Bangladeshi economy, as the sector is the largest...

Migration from Cambodia and the Domestic Labor Market

What is the typical profile of a potential migrant from Cambodia, and what are the drivers that lead individuals to migrate abroad? Recent research commissioned by USAID and carried out by EMC has attempted to answer these questions, and to investigate how one might address migration push factors that make it unattractive for vulnerable populations to remain in the country.   The majority of Cambodia’s migrants migrate through unsafe channels and without official travel documents, and are therefore at a heightened risk of...

Challenges with Rice Husk Gasifiers in Cambodia

Big changes in the operating environment, caused big problems for a recent program to promote gasifiers to rice mills. Here's what went wrong and what we can learn from it. Strong Business Case? On paper, the Cambodian rice mill sector looked like a perfect market for the adoption of rice husk gasification technology. A large reason Cambodian rice mills were uncompetitive against neighboring countries was that their fuel costs were very high; many rice mills do not have access to grid electricity and were...

Female Entrepreneur Builds Engineering Services Firm in Laos.

Founded in 2009 by entrepreneur Siriphone Phanthavong, Electrical Civil Mechanical Engineering (ECME) specializes in providing engineering services in Lao PDR. Prior to founding ECME, Siriphone worked on infrastructure projects in the mining industry – primarily electrical installations. As Laos saw a boom in mining and hydropower, Siriphone identified a market niche for international standard engineering services. In 2013, ECME founder Siriphone was a winner of the Mekong Women’s Entrepreneur Challenge (MWEC) - a competition for highly motivated women who own small to medium sized businesses....

Amru Rice

Export led investment key in Rice sector

Amru Rice is at the forefront of developments in the Cambodian rice industry. In 2012, Amru worked with Emerging Markets Consulting under the Export Market Access Fund, to boost its export growth. Amru Rice was founded on three generations of agricultural trading dating back to 1960. SONG Saran joined the family firm in 2008, and embarked upon a process of export-led investment and modernization. Today he is Chairman of a leading diversified agricultural business in Cambodia. Leading Cambodian rice exporter Following the completion of a...

Bodia Nature

Bodia Nature Global Ambitions

Bodia Nature is a leading Cambodian Well Being brand, which counts France, China, Japan, Europe and America as key export markets. The French-Khmer brand was developed in 2006, with the ambition of producing 100 percent, all-natural beauty products in Cambodia.  In 2012, Bodia Nature worked with EMC, under the Export Market Access Fund (EMAF), to launch exports to Europe. Bodia Nature initially targeted France for 4 reasons  - rapidly rising online shopping, one of the largest cosmetics and wellbeing sectors in Europe, and a...