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Introduction
NATIONAL
CONTRIBUTION REPORT
Beyond Short-
Term Profits
Nurturing People
Process Excellence
& Governance
Planet & Society
Our Associates
NATIONAL CONTRIBUTION REPORT 85
Axiata Group Berhad | Sustainability & National Contribution Report 2016
NATIONAL CONTRIBUTION
REPORT
ICT to support digital education
Cambodia has embarked on a journey of
building a digital society in tandem with
the rapid expansion of mobile broadband
availability
and
affordability.
The
Telecommunication and ICT Development
Policy 2020 specifies targets such as
100% of high school graduates equipped
with basic ICT skills and 15% of ICT
human resource in the country. Mobile
connectivity can increase access to
education and enrich learning experiences
with digital content to ensure inclusive,
equitable and sustainable education.
Besides having much better 4G LTE
services compared to its neighbouring
countries, smartphone penetration and
internet literacy in Cambodia is booming
day by day whereby there are about
eight million internet subscribers and
4.9 million social media users as at end-
2016. Whilst supporting programmes that
help to promote Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics (STEM),
Smart is also gearing up its involvement
in innovation initiatives that contribute
towards supporting digital education; for
example facilitating the development of
educational mobile applications, local
content, e-learning portals, e-books and
so forth.
Sports
One of the goals of the Cambodian
Government is to promote sports and
a healthy lifestyle at all levels while
contributing to social, cultural and
economic development. Football, in
particular, has been gaining popularity after
improved performances of the national
team in the 2018 World Cup Qualifications
and the 2016 ASEAN Football Federation
2016 also saw Smart partnering withWorld
Vision International and Salt Academy in a
sports for development pilot programme
which reaches out to over 300 vulnerable
youth in Battambang, Preah Vihear and
Takeo. These programmes have enabled
and encouraged many young Cambodians
to dream big, not only in football but also
in life. Smart is also the main sponsor of
Phnom Penh Crown Football Club and
Smart Dragon Basketball Club; the former
also runs a Young Talent Academy to
cultivate talented players, an initiative
that Smart believes will eventually create
world-class footballers in Cambodia. As
part of promoting a healthy lifestyle,
Smart supports every marathon activity in
Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, Siem Reap and
Kampot, which saw a total of more than
20,000 participants in 2016.
U-16 Youth Championship. Smart has been
tremendously active in partnering with the
Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport,
local authorities, football institutions and
NGOs in supporting sporting events, youth
programmes and national sports initiatives
to spur Cambodia’s sports development.
Supporting Cambodia’s first National
Games
The national policy on the development
of physical education and sports is
accelerating rapidly ahead of the
prestigious regional 2023 SEA Games
which will be hosted by Cambodia. In
collaboration with the National Olympic
Committee, the National Games were
launched in 2016 as a result of an eight-
year partnership reflecting Smart’s
commitment to playing a part in developing
new sportsmen and sportswomen in the
country. Sports covered by this bi-yearly
event include athletics, swimming, boxing,
badminton, basketball, Kun Khmer and
Bokator football, wrestling, table tennis,
taekwondo, volleyball, tennis, petanque
and acrobatics. The inaugural National
Games in 2016 involved 2,700 athletes
nationwide and was attended by 60,000
sports enthusiasts over 11 days.
Sports for development programmes
Sports is one of the most powerful tools for
personal and professional development.
Through its CSR initiatives in Community
Sports, Smart aims to trigger positive
change and to empower Cambodians
to help their communities and families
become more sustainable. In the second
year of Smart’s three-year partnership with
Happy Football Cambodia, the Cambodian
team won the Men’s Globe Trophy at the
2016 Homeless World Cup in Scotland.