Yachiyo Engineering Co., Ltd., along with two other engineering consulting companies (Nippon Koei Co., Ltd. and QSC Consultant Co., Ltd. signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Battambang Province, Cambodia, for the promotion of efforts to develop and realize a smart city in Battambang Province.

Battambang Province, with a population of approximately 990,000 (2019), is strategically located in the western part of the country and contains Battambang City, Cambodia's third largest city. Battambang City is one of the 26 pilot cities in the ASEAN Smart Cities Network (ASCN)*1.

Under the MOU, the provincial government has confirmed that the three companies, including Yachiyo Engineering, will cooperate in (1) planning and promotion of related projects, (2) coordination with various donors and public institutions, (3) development of investment projects for both Japanese and Cambodian private companies, and (4) business matching between Japanese and Cambodian private companies to develop and realize a smart city in Battambang Province.

These efforts will be carried out in order to realize the basic concepts of the smart city proposed in the study and research work related to the FY2021 Smart JAMP*2 (Study for Masterplan of Battambang for Smart and Sustainable Development, Kingdom of Cambodia, etc.), which was carried out by the three companies including Yachiyo Engineering.

Based on this MOU, Yachiyo Engineering will pursue various technical cooperation efforts and coordination activities with Japanese companies to develop and promote smart city development in Battambang Province.

*1: ASEAN Smart Cities Network (ASCN): a collaborative platform for 10 ASEAN Member States (AMS) to work together towards the common goal of smart and sustainable development, established at the 32nd ASEAN Summit on April 28, 2018.

*2: Smart JAMP: A new support package to promote Japan's cooperation with the ASCN, including project formulation studies and demonstration projects conducted by Japan, promotion of financial support, and local cooperation with cities in ASEAN countries. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) and other related organizations are working together to promote these efforts.