Kuala Lumpur, Nov 14 – The government expects ICT services and eCommerce to be the largest contributors to the Malaysia Digital Economy, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
This, he added, is to achieve its aspirational goal of 17 per cent contribution to the country’s gross domestic product.
He said Digital Malaysia will address with a holistic framework, four pilot applications for societal and government purposes, and a fund for economic Big Data Analytics (BDA)to drive ICT services.
“Multimedia Development Corporation Sdn Bhd (MDeC) will kick-start the private sector lead in the BDA project with a RM10 million budget to create 20 applications for the business community,” he told reporters here after chairing the 25th MSC Malaysia Implementation Council Meeting here Thursday.
Najib said the Multimedia and Communications Ministry with the support of the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit and MDeC will jointly implement four government initiated BDA pilot projects by 2015.
As for eCommerce, he said the intervention is planned for SMEs to grow their exports by tapping into global demand in e-marketplaces, where buyers congregate.
“The eTrade project will help 25,000 SMEs reach out to global buyers in seven economies and five international e-marketplaces by 2020,” he added.
Earlier, Najib said the new Digital Malaysia 354 Roadmap must be implemented to game-change Malaysia’s digital landscape by addressing access, adoption and usage across five digital economy sub-sectors that would impact four Digital Malaysia communities.
He said this would also spur growth and change in the digital landscape for five key digital economy sub-sectors, namely, ICT services, eCommerce, ICT manufacturing, ICT trade as well as content and media.
“These five sub-sectors are required to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 9.8 per cent from 2010 to 2020,” he added.
Meanwhile, Najib praised the consistent ability of MSC Malaysia companies to impact the local and international technology landscape.
He said MSC Malaysia recorded its best revenue performance to date at RM33.53 billion for last year, which is an increase of 5.7 per cent from 2011, while also drawing RM2.92 billion in investments, a 17 per cent increase from previously.
Najib also received today a courtesy call by US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, who is on a five-nation swing through Asia this week, at Parliament.
He is visiting Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and China to hold talks with his counterparts on the US and regional economic outlook.
– Bernama
