Govt identifies RM1bil potential investments under Pemangkin

Govt identifies RM1bil potential investments under Pemangkin

The investments involve nine digital sectors including finance, agriculture, health and tourism.

Communications and digital minister Fahmi Fadzil urged the private sector to work with the government to create a more cohesive, inclusive and innovative tech ecosystem.
KUALA LUMPUR:
The government has identified potential public-private investments worth RM1 billion in nine digital sectors to be promoted under the Malaysia Digital Catalytic programmes (Pemangkin).

Communications and digital minister Fahmi Fadzil said the sectors are finance, Islamic finance, trade, agriculture, tourism, content, services, health and cities.

He added that the government, via the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation, will be allocating RM238 million for the 2023-2025 period to support new initiatives under Pemangkin, including three new digital grants.

Of the total allocation, RM143 million is for public investments, while RM45 million will be set aside for tech enablers and RM50 million for grants.

Under the new Pemangkin initiatives, the trade sector will get the biggest allocation with RM35 million, followed by agriculture (RM30 million), content (RM25 million), health (RM16 million), cities (RM16 million), tourism (RM10 million), services (RM7 million), finance (RM1.8 million) and Islamic finance (RM1.8 million).

During the unveiling of the new strategy today, Fahmi said the grants will be launched as early as May, adding that the initiatives for each of the sectors will be announced in phases.

“We greatly urge the private sector to work with the government to create a more cohesive, inclusive and innovative tech ecosystem.

“There are plenty of opportunities for us to grow together, especially under Malaysia Digital and the rollout of various Pemangkin programmes,” he said.

He also said there are many fundamental areas of digital transformation that need to be addressed in the journey towards a sustainable and dynamic digital economy.

Fahmi said the government – via the Malaysia Digital initiative announced last year – is seeking to transform the nation’s digital capabilities and boost the digital economy through the rollout of various Pemangkin programmes across the nine sectors.

He said programmes such as DE Rantau and Digital Trade under Pemangkin saw substantial achievements based on local reception, international recognition, and growing participation from stakeholders across industries.

“We are confident that Pemangkin will act as a catalyst to equip the nation’s workforce with digital skills, spurring technological innovation and attracting foreign investors to set up their operations in Malaysia,” he added.

The minister said the digital economy has contributed 22.6% to the country’s gross domestic product, and is expected to grow by 25.5%, and create more than 500,000 jobs by 2025.

Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram

Subscribe to our newsletter and get news delivered to your mailbox.