Hun Manet reviews public finance goals
- Cambodia’s government reviewed a draft Medium-Term Public Finance Framework for 2027-2029 under Prime Minister Hun Manet, alongside a three-year public investment plan tied to future budget preparation. - The finance framework comes as Phnom Penh has cut its 2025 and 2026 growth forecasts to 5.2% and 5.0%, while warning revenue growth will stay slow and budget space tight. - The review fits Cambodia’s push to keep debt sustainable and financing flowing for priority projects, with public debt at 19% of gross domestic product in 2024. (akp.gov.kh)
Prime Minister Hun Manet’s government reviewed Cambodia’s draft Medium-Term Public Finance Framework for 2027-2029 and a matching three-year public investment programme in Phnom Penh. (angkortimes.com) The meeting focused on how revenue policy and state spending should line up with national priorities while keeping macroeconomic stability in place. The draft framework is meant to guide budget choices over the next three years. (angkortimes.com) Officials also examined the Draft Three-Year Public Investment Programme for 2027-2029, a rolling list of priority projects across ministries that feeds into future budget laws. (angkortimes.com) The timing matters because Cambodia’s Ministry of Economy and Finance has already lowered its growth outlook. In an unofficial translation published by the ministry, growth was revised to 5.2% for 2025 and 5.0% for 2026, down from earlier projections of about 6.3% for both years. (mef.gov.kh) That same ministry document says revenue is expected to grow slowly because the tax base remains narrow, some sectors are weakening, and existing tax incentives are still in place. It also says spending pressure is rising as the government tries to support growth and social stability with tighter budget space. (mef.gov.kh) Cambodia is trying to keep that balancing act while preserving room for infrastructure and development finance. On April 1, Economy and Finance Minister Aun Pornmoniroth discussed a proposed US$2 billion country cooperation framework with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank for 2026-2030. (akp.gov.kh) The government has also been stressing that its debt position remains manageable. The Ministry of Economy and Finance said public debt stood at US$12.03 billion at the end of 2024, equal to 19% of gross domestic product and below its 40% threshold. (akp.gov.kh) Hun Manet has framed public-finance reform as a long-running state project rather than a one-off budget exercise. In February 2024, he said Cambodia had spent two decades building its public financial management system and needed to keep the “spirit of reform.” (freshnewsasia.com) This latest review shows Phnom Penh preparing the next budget cycle with slower growth assumptions, tighter revenue expectations, and a sharper test for how it funds its development plans. (mef.gov.kh) (angkortimes.com)
