The Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Malaysia (Malaysia Centre for 4IR) was officially launched today by the Minister of Economy, Rafizi Ramli and the President of the World Economic Forum, Børge Brende.
Malaysia Centre for 4IR is said to play a crucial role in driving the advancement of the digital economy in Malaysia, with a focus on supporting the country’s digital transformation and advancements in fast-growing sectors including green energy transition.
The Centre for 4IR would 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.
Malaysia Centre for 4IR is hosted by MyDIGITAL Corporation, a national initiative aimed at transforming Malaysia into a digitally-driven, high-income nation and a regional leader.
This initiative marks a significant milestone in Malaysia’s journey towards becoming a global leader in technology governance and innovation. The Malaysia Centre for 4IR is the first Centre in the Asia-Pacific region as part of the World Economic Forum’s global Centre for 4IR Network. With this launch, Malaysia joins a community of 18 other Centres, where new and innovative approaches to technology governance, adoption and scaling are being developed and implemented at the national, regional and international levels.
Following the official launch, the Malaysia Centre for 4IR hosted two roundtable discussions to address its thematic priorities, inviting leaders from business, government and other sectors to share their key priorities and opportunities for the energy transition and digital transformation. These insights will serve as the foundation for the Malaysia Centre for 4IR’s core initiatives, informing its strategic planning and program development.
The Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim said in his pre-recorded opening speech, “Malaysia is honoured to be part of the global network of Centres for the Fourth Industrial Revolution with the first Centre for 4IR in Southeast Asia. This is a testament to the critical value of Malaysia’s efforts to become an advanced, digitally-driven, high-income nation and a regional digital economy leader fostering innovation, entrepreneurship and collaborations between stakeholders. The Malaysia Centre for 4IR will further strengthen Malaysia’s human-centred policy towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution and contribute towards our target of entering the Top 20 in the Global Innovation Index. We are confident that a resilience-oriented approach will also improve the nation’s People’s Wellbeing Index score and enhance productivity to create inclusive, balanced, responsible and sustainable economic growth.”
From adoption to transformation to regional leadership, the Malaysia Centre for 4IR is a critical establishment that will help drive the country’s transition towards an advanced digital economy, MyDIGITAL Corporation said in a statement. By joining the global ecosystem of technology governance innovators and leaders, Malaysia Centre for 4IR is poised to contribute significantly to Malaysia’s economic and social development in the years to come.
The World Economic Forum’s global Centre for 4IR network is a platform for multistakeholder collaboration, bringing together the public and private sectors to maximize technological benefits to society while minimizing the risks associated with 4IR technologies.