An African PPM Delegation Received at Cambodia's Senate to Celebrate 30 Years of South-South Cooperation

Marking the 30th anniversary of PPM, a delegation of its African partners was received in a courtesy visit by H.E. Mr Ouch Borith, First Vice-President and Acting President of the Senate of the Kingdom of Cambodia. The warm, fraternal meeting was held on September 17 at the Senate palace.

The delegation was led by Dr Hay Ly Eang, founding president of PPM, and Ms Coumba Diallo, PPM's Africa Export Director, based in Dakar, Senegal. Côte d'Ivoire was represented by Mr Moussa Garba, Ms Yaoua Rachel Dongo and Mr Batiemoko Traoré. The delegation from Benin brought together Mr Angelo Samson Fifamè Sehou, Ms Maissarath Bada, Ms Amelee Hermione Acakpo, Mr Senankpon Francophonie Sezan, Ms Bella Annette Stella Yekpe and Ms Mariama Abossede Atinouke Bolarin. Mali was represented by Ms Fatoumata Fabe, Ms Safia Bah Dicko, Mr Abdoul Razzaq Diabate, Ms Mariam Kaba, Mr Kalil Joseph Toure and Ms Lalla Moulker Kounta Toure.

In his welcoming address, H.E. Mr Ouch Borith highlighted the ties and similarities binding Cambodia and French-speaking Africa: shared struggles for independence and sovereignty, comparable levels of development, similar agricultural practices, comparable products and a shared French language. He recalled that the King-Father Norodom Sihanouk was, alongside African presidents Senghor, Bourguiba and Diori, one of the four founding fathers of the Francophonie in Niamey in 1970.

Dr Hay Ly Eang then retraced the key milestones of PPM's expansion in Africa, noting that his company was the first non-French Francophone laboratory to establish itself on the continent. Ms Coumba Diallo explained the recipe for success: effective medicines tailored to the pathologies common to countries of the Global South — malaria, tropical infections, nutritional deficiencies — and offered at prices matching the purchasing power of African populations.

The delegation also announced the extension of this cooperation to the food-processing sector, with the upcoming export of Confirel products through the same distribution network. Initial market tests conducted in several African countries on palm sugar, Kampot pepper and powdered prahok proved highly conclusive, opening promising commercial prospects.

In his closing remarks, the Acting President of the Senate expressed the wish that the members of the African delegation would become ambassadors for the development of economic relations between Africa and Cambodia. The meeting came at a particularly symbolic moment: Phnom Penh will host the 20th Francophonie Summit on November 15 and 16, 2026 — a first in the country's history and a concrete illustration of an economic Francophonie oriented toward South-South solidarity.