KUCHING, May 24 — Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg today said Sarawak was on track to be a digitally developed and business-friendly state by 2030.
He said there will be a conducive and agile environment for businesses to invest and grow, high speed connectivity, equitable access to opportunities for the people to uplift their social-economic status, and cyber security in the state by then.
“The Sarawak Digital Economy Blueprint 2030 that was launched in 2017 targets Sarawak to tap a percentage of the global digital economy through strategies to grow cross-border data flow by establishing data centres, digital services delivery, and digital foreign direct investments,” he said in his winding-up speech in the Sarawak assembly.
He said the blueprint was for Sarawak to transform the whole of its economy and society from a conventional resource-based economy to an environmentally sustainable technology-driven economy.
“We will build the ecosystem to attract new industries focusing on international standards data centres, digital content creation and boosting digital innovation and entrepreneurship,” he said.
He added the state government welcomed the private sector to venture in the evolving digital economy.
He said under the blueprint, the private sector will play a dominant role through frontier technologies such as big data, blockchain, internet of things, artificial intelligence solutions and immersive technology.
“On a broader scale, this will bring major economical, societal, and environmental impact to Sarawak,” he said, adding that the state government will continue to build enabling digital infrastructure to widen the coverage and provide connectivity, especially to the rural communities for inclusive development.
He said the state government will establish a dedicated cyber security team to implement the Cyber Security Framework focusing on effective governance and management, legislation and policy, compliance and enforcement, research, innovation and technology industry, capacity and capability building and collaboration.
“By 2030, all segments of the economy namely mining, agriculture and forestry, manufacturing, construction, and services will be digitally driven using ICT and frontier digital technologies.
“Ultimately, these will enhance productivity, yield, efficiency and generate high-skilled jobs for our people,” the premier said.
He added all government services will be easily and safely accessible online, supported by data sharing and data driven decision making to deliver more targeted policies, services and programmes to businesses and communities.
He said regulations will be in place to ensure Sarawak has a safe, cyber-secure and vibrant environment to maximise digital value.
“All these initiatives will contribute approximately 20 per cent to Sarawak’s gross domestic products (GDP) amounting RM56.4 billion in 2030, creating more than 45,000 new high-paying jobs with 80 per cent of MSMEs adopting digitalisation,” he said, referring to micro, small and medium enterprises.
