KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has officially launched its first Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Malaysia (Malaysia Centre for 4IR) in the Asean region.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the independent centre within the World Economic Forum global ecosystem would play a crucial role in driving the advancement of the digital economy in Malaysia.
Anwar in a pre-recorded speech at the launching ceremony said the centre would focus on supporting the country's digital transformation and advancements including green energy transition.
"This initiative marks a significant milestone in Malaysia's journey towards becoming a global leader in technology governance and innovation.
"We aspire to further strengthen Malaysia's position in the global standing, and coupled with the values of Malaysia MADANI, I am confident that we are able to accelerate Malaysia's transformation towards advanced digital economy by strengthening our infrastructure, facilitate innovation and creating an ecosystem for all of us to contribute to bring forth higher standards of living to all Malaysians," he said.
He added that growing the digital economy was an important agenda for the Malaysian government and it was proven through the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint and Policy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution which was formulated using a human-centred approach.
This, he said, was to ensure that we Malaysia could leverage technology while preserving human, social and cultural values for future sustainability aligned with the 12 Malaysia Plan and Sustainable Development Goals, aimed at exploiting the potential opportunities presented by 4IR and future-proofing Malaysia's socioeconomic development for long-term sustainability and prosperity.
"It is my wish for this centre to further accelerate Malaysia's transformation into an inclusive, digitally-enabled and technology-driven, high-income nation and a regional leader in the digital economy," he said.
This centre is the 19th centre in the World Economic Forum's global Centre for 4IR network and it will serve as a public-private platform, bringing together leaders from government, business, civil society, academia and other sectors to advance new partnerships and initiatives that can unlock the value of technology for Malaysia's economy and society.
The centre is hosted by MyDIGITAL Corporation, a national initiative aimed at transforming Malaysia into a digitally-driven, high-income nation and a regional leader.
The World Economic Forum's global Centre for 4IR network is a platform for multi stakeholder collaboration, bringing together the public and private sectors to maximise technological benefits to society while minimising the risks associated with 4IR technologies.
Also in attendance at the launching ceremony were Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli and World Economic Forum president Børge Brende.