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Charting Malaysia’s Digital Future: A Digital Odyssey

In the rapidly evolving global digital landscape, Malaysia must chart an ambitious course towards technological transformation. As 2025 approaches, the nation should not merely adapt to the digital age but actively reshape its economic and social fabric through a bold, comprehensive digital strategy. In this article, Fabian Bigar, Secretary General of Malaysia’s Ministry of Digital, shares his aspirations and vision for 2025, with a particular focus on the future of Malaysia's digital landscape.


By YBhg. Mr. Fabian Bigar, Secretary General, Ministry of Digital

 

Architecting Transformation: The Ministry of Digital

Established on 12 December 2023, the Ministry of Digital is central to spearheading Malaysia’s digital transformation. By consolidating digital initiatives from multiple agencies, the Ministry ensures a unified, cohesive approach to the nation’s digital agenda.

 

Key Strategic Priorities:

  • Enhancing Digital Government Services: Improving efficiency and citizen satisfaction.
  • Expanding Digital Infrastructure and Literacy: Addressing digital gaps, particularly in rural areas.
  • Fostering a Robust Digital Economy: Nurturing talent and supporting innovation.
  • Ensuring Cybersecurity: Protecting citizens’ data and privacy.
  • Strengthening Digital Governance: Driving societal integration and positive impact.

 

Shaping the Digital Landscape: Key Focus Areas

The Ministry’s efforts are anchored in three interconnected pillars:

1. Digital Economy: Driving Growth and Competitiveness

Transforming Malaysia’s economy through the adoption of digital technologies is a key strategic priority. This involves:

  • Creating High-Value Jobs: The Ministry aims to create 500,000 new high-skilled digital jobs by 2025, focusing on nurturing a workforce capable of driving innovation and supporting digital industries. This target reflects the commitment to providing opportunities for Malaysian youth and enhancing the nation’s economic resilience.
  • Attracting Investments: The latest e-Conomy SEA 2024 report by Google, Temasek, and Bain & Company highlighted Malaysia’s success in attracting significant investments in AI infrastructure, with USD 15 billion secured in the first half of 2024. These investments are fostering new roles in AI development and data, leading to the expansion of AI-driven industries such as automated logistics, smart manufacturing, and digital financial services.
  • Fostering Innovation: By 2025, Malaysia aims to have 5,000 start-ups, reflecting the ambition to cultivate a thriving ecosystem of innovation, entrepreneurship, and digital solutions. This goal is supported by initiatives such as SME Digitalisation Grants and public-private partnerships that provide businesses with access to the technology and expertise needed to compete in a digital-first world.

2. Government Digital Services: Enhancing Efficiency and Accessibility

Modernising public services through digitalisation is another critical focus area. The GovTech Model, leveraging advanced technologies like cloud computing, AI, and big data, is central to this transformation. This model aims to:

  • Enhance Public Service Delivery: The GovTech Nucleus Unit will provide solutions for the government to offer more personalised, efficient, and transparent services to the rakyat, ensuring that public sector innovation keeps pace with the demands of a digital society.
  • Reimagine Public Services: GovTech goes beyond simply digitising existing services. It involves rethinking and redesigning services to provide a better user experience for citizens. This includes making government interactions faster, more efficient, and more accessible for everyone.
  • Streamline and Integrate Services: The Government Online Services Gateway (GOSG) consolidates various government services into a one-stop digital portal, enhancing efficiency, transparency, and user-friendliness for both citizens and businesses. The GOSG aligns with Malaysia’s MyDIGITAL blueprint, which outlines the nation’s vision for digital transformation.

3. Digital Society: Fostering Digital Fluency, Literacy, and Inclusion

For Malaysia to fully embrace the digital economy, society-wide digital literacy is paramount. This involves:

  • Empowering Citizens in Rural Areas: Ensuring that people from all walks of life, particularly those in rural areas, have access to digital services and are equipped with the skills needed to thrive in the digital age.
  • Promoting Digital Education: Through professional upskilling initiatives offered by agencies such as MDEC and SME Corp (Ministry of Human Resources), Malaysians can access tools and knowledge in key sectors of the digital ecosystem – data analytics, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity. The Ministry of Digital will also launch the Rakyat Digital self-learning platform to enhance digital literacy among citizens, covering topics such as cybersecurity and personal data protection, following the success of the AI Untuk Rakyat
  • Ensuring Access for All: The vision is to create a digital society where all Malaysians, regardless of their location or background, can actively participate in and benefit from the digital economy. This includes addressing challenges in bridging the digital divide in rural areas, where internet connectivity and access to digital resources remain uneven.
 

Artificial Intelligence: The Catalyst for Transformation

Malaysia recognises the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and is actively working to become an AI-driven nation. The National AI Office (NAIO), launched in December 2024, will play a pivotal role in driving AI adoption and innovation. Key initiatives include:

  • National AI Strategy (2026-2030): Continuing the AI Roadmap 2021-2025, previously developed by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation.
  • AI Governance and Ethics: Establishing a robust framework for responsible AI development and deployment.
  • AI Talent Development: Investing in AI education and training to build a skilled workforce.

Currently ranked 23rd globally in AI readiness (Oxford Insights), Malaysia recognises that leadership requires continuous innovation and investment.

 

The Road Ahead

The path to digital leadership is not without obstacles. Declining rankings in global digital competitiveness indices and intensifying regional competition demand continuous adaptation. Challenges such as rural digital access and workforce reskilling require nuanced, multi-dimensional strategies. Malaysia’s digital strategy distinguishes itself through its emphasis on collaboration. By fostering partnerships between the public and private sectors, engaging with regional ASEAN members, and maintaining open international dialogues, the nation creates a dynamic, adaptive digital ecosystem.

As Malaysia prepares to chair ASEAN in 2025, the nation’s digital transformation will be a showcase of inclusivity, strategic investment, and forward-thinking collaboration. By leading this transformation, Malaysia is not merely joining the digital revolution but defining its next chapter.

The journey towards a digitally empowered Malaysia promises a future where technology serves as a great equaliser and a catalyst for unprecedented growth and opportunity.

 

 

About the writer

YBhg. Mr. Fabian Bigar was appointed Secretary General of the Ministry of Digital on 24 June 2024. In this role, he leads Malaysia’s digital strategies, oversees national digital transformation, and collaborates with various stakeholders to enhance the government’s digital services and infrastructure.

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Mouna Aouri

Programme Fellow

Mouna Aouri is an Institute Fellow at the Tech For Good Institute. As a social entrepreneur, impact investor, and engineer, her experience spans over two decades in the MENA region, South East Asia, and Japan. She is founder of Woomentum, a Singapore-based platform dedicated to supporting women entrepreneurs in APAC through skill development and access to growth capital through strategic collaborations with corporate entities, investors and government partners.

Dr Ming Tan

Founding Executive Director

Dr Ming Tan is founding Executive Director for the Tech for Good Institute, a non-profit founded to catalyse research and collaboration on social, economic and policy trends accelerated by the digital economy in Southeast Asia. She is concurrently a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Governance and Sustainability at the National University of Singapore and Advisor to the Founder of the COMO Group, a Singaporean portfolio of lifestyle companies operating in 15 countries worldwide.  Her research interests lie at the intersection of technology, business and society, including sustainability and innovation.

 

Ming was previously Managing Director of IPOS International, part of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, which supports Singapore’s future growth as a global innovation hub for intellectual property creation, commercialisation and management. Prior to joining the public sector, she was Head of Stewardship of the COMO Group and the founding Executive Director of COMO Foundation, a grantmaker focused on gender equity that has served over 47 million women and girls since 2003.

 

As a company director, she lends brand and strategic guidance to several companies within the COMO Group. Ming also serves as a Council Member of the Council for Board Diversity, on the boards of COMO Foundation and Singapore Network Information Centre (SGNIC), and on the Digital and Technology Advisory Panel for Esplanade–Theatres on the Bay, Singapore’s national performing arts centre.

 

In the non-profit, educational and government spheres, Ming is a director of COMO Foundation and Singapore Network Information Centre (SGNIC) and chairs the Asia Advisory board for Swiss hospitality business and management school EHL. She also serves on  the Council for Board Diversity and the Digital and Technology Advisory Panel for Esplanade–Theatres on the Bay, Singapore’s national performing arts centre.

 

Ming was educated in Singapore, the United States, and England. She obtained her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Stanford University and her doctorate from Oxford.