| Lyna Mohamad |
ACCORDING to reports from the International Telecommunications Union, Brunei Darussalam was ranked 71 out of 167 countries in the ICT Development Index 2015. However, in the Global Innovation Index 2014 issue by the World Intellectual Property Organisation, Brunei Darussalam still placed 88 out of 143 countries.
This was stated by Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Mustappa bin Haji Sirat, the Minister of Communications, in his welcoming address yesterday at the Brunei Info-Communication Technology Awards (BICTA) 2016 ceremony.
“There are still areas to improvise to compete with other countries, especially in terms of info-communications technology (ICT) readiness and access to the Internet, while paying attention to aspects of creativity and innovation,” he said.
“To achieve these objectives, strong support is needed from all parties, particularly from government agencies and the private sector, to realise the goals of Vision 2035.”
The minister further noted that ICT development continues to pay a vital role in the development of a well-informed society community, in addition to generating job opportunities for the private sector, stimulating economic growth and bridging the social gap.
“Technology and ICT capabilities in empowering human creativity continue to inspire us, and are expected to endure in the long run, particularly with the availability of new developments such as the Internet of Things, Big Date, Cloud Computing, Mobile Computing and so on,” he said.
He added that such developments would pave the way for a wider range of ICT technology, which also posed several challenges to developing countries.
Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Mustappa bin Haji Sirat, the Minister of Communications, delivering his welcoming address. – AZROL AZMI
“In terms of progress, we still prefer to take shortcuts by borrowing ideas or solutions from more developed countries, with the belief that those concepts are far more contemporary, comprehensive and sophisticated,” he said. “Creativity and innovation do not manifest themselves without inspiration, capability, research and support from the relevant parties.”
He assured that his ministry would continue to put importance on the development of human capital, as an incentive for local citizens to venture into the fields of creativity and innovation in ICT.
“The ministry is also currently evaluating the distribution of Intellectual Property Rights to innovation products with commercial value,” he said, adding that the strategy is intended to spur more research and an output of new ideas, as well as boosting creativity and design through collaboration with accredited technology providers.
“The availability of creativity and innovation will enable the ICT sector to engineer development towards a dynamic, sustainable and resilient economy,” he said.
The minister also noted that this year’s BICTA competition was met with positive responses from students, higher education institutions and ICT companies.
“BICTA will act as an institution for potency, innovation and the endorsement of ICT apps and solutions with a Bruneian distinctiveness, to spur the development of the local ICT industry and further contribute to the country’s economic growth,” he said.
Inspired by the Visionary Digital Generation, a special awards category was held this year, in acknowledgement of the potential displayed by several participants in fields such as Promising Entrepreneurs, Green ICT, New Technology and Young Developers.
The BICTA winners will go on to represent Brunei Darussalam and showcase their talents at the Asia Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) in Taipei, in December.
Since Brunei’s participation at APICTA in 2008, it has won two winning awards and 17 merit awards and among the agencies that have successfully penetrated the regional market are MARS Enterprise, Crescent Sdn Bhd, PHMD Publishing Company, DotRoot Technologies and SnapFeed Sdn Bhd.
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