KUALA LUMPUR, 20 May 2008 — Given the current global economic scenario, it is perhaps the most opportune time to put information and communications technology (ICT) to work in helping to overcome some of the challenges that the world is currently facing, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, prime minister of Malaysia, said here yesterday.
While addressing the 16th World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT 2008) at Kuala Lumpur Convention Center, Badawi said ICT has already become an indispensable tool for information dissemination on climatic changes, which is also an issue of increasing global concern.
He said there are just some of the ways that we have used ICT to provide solutions in the area of agriculture and food production. There are many other problems in other parts of the world that can similarly be solved through the creative use of ICT.
The theme of this year’s three-day event is “the Global Impact of Information and Communications Technology: Enable Businesses, Empower Societies, Enrich economies.”
More than 3,000 participants from over 90 countries are taking part in WCIT 2008.
A large number of government officials, businessmen and IT experts from Saudi Arabia are also attending the event.
“We have entered into the brave new world. We live in an age where we have unprecedented access to information; and we have the means to transcend traditional boundaries and restrictions — all at the click of a button and from the comfort of our homes and offices,” Badawi said.
On the sidelines of WCIT 2008 more than $1.65 billion worth of trade and investment deals were sealed yesterday. A total of five agreements or partnerships were exchanged in the presence of Badawi .
Dr. Maximus Johnity Ongkili, minister of science, technology and innovation, Malaysia said this premier global forum is a wonderful opportunity for Malaysia to highlight its potential as a global hub for ICT. WCIT 2008 will complement Malaysia’s current efforts to move economy up the value chain by leveraging ICT and multimedia.
“This event is a wonderful opportunity for Malaysians to showcase our abilities, capabilities and capacities,” Ongkili said.
Malaysia joined the ICT revolution at an early stage in its development, utilizing it in business, education, healthcare, industrial and technology development.
“The setting up of the multimedia super corridor (MSC Malaysia) twelve years ago was instrumental in catalyzing our aspiration to transform the nation into a knowledge-based society,” Badawi said.
While welcoming the delegates, Badlisham Ghazali, chairman of WCIT 2008, said “This year’s event has grown beyond all our expectations, touching every aspect of our lives, ranging from the future of Internet to genomics and climate change.”
The World Congress on Information Technology is held every two years in various parts of the world.
The next congress will be held in the Netherlands in 2010.