Parliament: Digital Economy Development Programme Empowers Local Companies To Be Global Champions
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 13 (Bernama) -- The government is constantly striving to empower local companies with vast potential in the digital economy to become global champions.
The Communications and Multimedia Ministry (KKMM) in a written reply to Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan) in the Dewan Rakyat today said that this was because the digital economy had been identified as one of the growth engines that could boost the country's economy.
The ministry said the digital economy contributed 18.2 per cent to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and this percentage was expected to reach the target of more than 20 per cent before 2020.
"Among the efforts taken to achieve the target is to empower potential local ICT companies through the implementation of development programmes to help market their products and services, as well as to provide access to markets and capital through the Global Acceleration and Innovation Network (GAIN) programme," the ministry said.
Bung Moktar had wanted to know the ministry's plan to ensure the government's focus on digital economy and efforts to attract participation of local companies to become global champions could be realised.
The ministry said that up to now, 150 competitive local companies were involved in the GAIN programme.
At the same time, it said it also encouraged and provided a platform for local small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) to market their products and services to the international market via the Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ) initiative.
According to the ministry, in line with the implementation of DFTZ, a strategic framework to spearhead the development of e-Commerce had been outlined under the National e-Commerce Strategic Roadmap (NeSR) led by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) with the Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC).
"Under the NeSR, the ministries and agencies involved have embarked on a number of programmes and activities to ensure local entrepreneurs and SMEs in the e-Commerce sector can remain viable and competitive in the global arena," the ministry said.
The KKMM said that it had also provided a conducive ecosystem to promote the growth of high-tech startup companies through the Malaysia Digital Hub initiative, which offers physical location with high speed broadband facilities.
"This initiative, however, is still in the initial phase where several locations are being identified and finalised based on industrial demand and the availability of talents and startups at the site," it added.
-- BERNAMA
