KUCHING: Sarawakians must keep abreast of future trends to move forward in information technology (IT).
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said this at the 11th International Conference on Information Technology in Asia (CITA) here yesterday.
“The subject is still fresh in our minds since this conference is just a week after we had our International Digital Economy Conference Sarawak (IDECS) where we had distinguished speakers from all over the world converging here to share the future trends of IT.
“From my own perspective, China is very fast in learning and applying what they learned. Thus, I hope that Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) has the technology in place that can be applied for us to move forward,” he said.
“We must train more people to understand technology while at the same time create applications that will enhance our economic development.”
Abang Johari also reiterated the importance of “digitalising our strength”.
“Sarawak is blessed with agricultural and biodiversity resources and we should apply the latest biotechnology that will add more value to the resources,” he explained.
“This is why we have to collaborate with international experts in big data which is ‘fuel’ in the future and can be our additional resource.”
He added: “If and when we combine the two, that is where the wealth of Sarawak will be in the future and that is definitely the way we should move forward.
“I hope that everybody in Sarawak will play their part to transform our economy into a digital one.”
Adding to the chief minister’s points, Unimas deputy vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Mohd Fadzil Abdul Rahman said that ICT (information, communications, technology) would be a key element in the digital economy.
He said the university was fully supportive of the chief minister’s vision.
“We aim to produce students who are able to master advanced IT knowledge, skills and have the aptitude to meet industry needs.”
The conference, which ends today, is organised by Unimas’ Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, and acts as a platform for experts from both academia and industry to discuss the development of IT.
