KUALA LUMPUR (June 1): The Malaysian Government and Microsoft on Wednesday (June 1) announced the MyDIGITAL GovTech Innovation partnership, in a commitment to innovation, digital skills, and building economic resilience for Malaysia.
This announcement followed the Letter of Intent (LOI) signed between Microsoft and MyDIGITAL Corporation during Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s visit to the United States in May 2022.
In a statement on Wednesday, Microsoft said the LOI identified areas of collaboration including developing cybersecurity capabilities, driving the adoption of digital technologies by the public sector, and nurturing skilled talent to grow the digital economy.
Building on continued efforts to bolster Malaysia’s economic resilience, Microsoft and key Government agencies, such as MyDIGITAL Corporation and the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU), will equip civil servants with digital skills and training to support the nation’s aspiration for inclusive, responsible, and sustainable development.
Minister in Prime Minister’s Department (Economy) Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed who announced the initiative on behalf of the Government said the role of Malaysia’s civil service is key to building the nation’s economic resilience in these challenging times.
“Our long-standing partnership with Microsoft enables the civil service to be more innovative, data-driven and people-centric in finding solutions as well as formulating effective policies. An initiative such as this is an important step for Malaysia to equip ourselves with the relevant tools and capabilities to develop a digital-first economy.
“We welcome Microsoft’s continued contribution as a knowledge and technology partner to Malaysia, including their commitment to train 300,000 people by 2024 with the Human Resource Development Corporation,” he said.
Mustapa shared that the initiative announced today represents the next milestone of the Malaysian Government’s partnership with Microsoft, progressing towards achieving the targets outlined in the 12th Malaysia Plan and Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint.
The targets included 80% adoption of cloud storage across the Government in 2022, 100% digital literacy among civil servants, as well as 80% end-to-end online Government services by 2025, he said.
Microsoft noted that Wednesday’s announcement was also in addition to the Cloud Framework Agreement signed between the company and MAMPU to create a trusted cloud network and empower Malaysia’s public sector in its digital transformation journey.
Microsoft executive vice president and president, national transformation partnerships, Jean-Philippe Courtois, said the company’s mission is to empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more.
“Everyone must benefit. Without a doubt, this is reflected in our commitment to Malaysia. This year marks Microsoft’s 30 years in Malaysia, and we are happy to commemorate the occasion with our partners from the Government of Malaysia.
“Microsoft will remain steadfast in our partnership to enable Malaysia leverage our expertise and capabilities in technology to power inclusive economic growth and resilience in the digital era,” he added.
