THE Asean ICT Masterplan 2020 (AIM 2020) was adopted by the 15th Telecommunications and IT Ministers Meeting (TELMIN 2015) in Vietnam late last year. The Masterplan continues to build upon the success of the AIM 2015 and aims at transforming the Asean digital economy for a new stage of development.
According to a press release, the vision for the AIM 2020 is to propel Asean towards a digitally enabled economy that is secure, sustainable, and transformative and to enable an innovative, inclusive and integrated Asean Community.
The creation of an integrated digital economy, however, goes further than simply enabling connectivity. Increasingly, all sectors of the economy are adopting and embedding ICT and fostering economy-wide growth and innovation. Therefore, the implementation of AIM 2020 will focus on enabling such economy-wide transformation.
A digital economy is essentially a knowledge-based economy that comes with specific skill sets, and these are skills that many Asean member states (AMs) may not have enough of.
Minister of Communications, Dato Paduka Awang Haji Mustappa bin Haji Sirat with other Asean Tele-communications and ICT Ministers during the launching of the Asean ICT Masterplan 2020. – AITI
One of the key objectives of AIM 2020, therefore, is to focus on enabling the transformation to the digital economy and at the same time developing the human capacity necessary for this transition whilst facilitating the emergence of a single integrated market that is attractive to investment, talent and participation, and building a digital environment that is safe and trusted.
The Asean ministers also approved funding for implementation of projects during the 2016 Work Cycle which intend to encourage more creativity in ICT and to further improve connectivity and services in the region.
In this regard, the Authority for Info- Communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) has been actively engaging the relevant stakeholders to encourage their participation by coming up with proposals on projects and initiatives to support AIM 2020.
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