Committed to position Malaysia as a globally competitive digital nation
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A new year beckons, like a blank canvas waiting to be painted. What would you illustrate? The above quote by Michael Josephson is an apt one, especially when we are expecting the global economy to experience a slowdown, a challenging period for all of us. But just as one will never start a painting with distemper or stain, we should put our best brushstroke forward.
Malaysia has not been spared by the ravages and challenges of the pandemic. We have lost so many and so much over the past two years. But looking at the glass as half-full and based on empirical data of our digital economy, we have done pretty well to not only stem the tide but also ride the waves. The country’s digital economy continues to be on an upward trajectory, expected to contribute up to 25.5% of GDP come 2025. eCommerce transaction value breached the RM1 trillion mark for the very first time in 2022 while the number of MSMEs pivoting digitally has also exceeded the target.
We launched a new national strategic initiative in July 2022 to succeed the 26-year-old MSC (Multimedia Super Corridor) Malaysia, called Malaysia Digital (MD). MD will serve to improve the digital capabilities and capacities while raising its overall ecosystem value. In just two short months, MD has brought in RM42 billion worth of foreign direct investment while expanding domestic direct digital investment by RM4.76 billion.
MDEC has also launched the region’s first digital nomad programme, called DE Rantau, and laid foundations for the National e-Invoicing Initiative.
Since reopening our borders to the world, we have also hosted and organised the “Olympics of the World's Information Technology Industry”, World Congress on Innovation & Technology (WCIT). We have also organised Malaysia Digital Week 2022, an event which congregated business leaders, captains of the industry and experts from around the world. The tremendous response and results that we have gotten from all these initiatives show that the world’s confidence in Malaysia has grown.
We invite you to be a part of our success, grab a brush and paint this canvas called 2023 together with us. Happy reading.