KUALA LUMPUR: The MADANI Government’s approach in formulating national policies that involve all departments and ministries is aimed at ensuring more inclusive and successful policies, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said.
As such, he said government departments and ministries must not work in silos, as underlined in the MADANI Economy framework.
“As the Prime Minister, I am committed to seeing the biotechnology industry grow in an inclusive and sustainable way, where technological and economic advancements do not compromise human values.
“This is the true meaning of Bioeconomy For All – a vision where advancements in biotechnology bring welfare and justice to all segments of society,” he said in his keynote address at the launch of National Bioeconomy Showcase 2024 here today.
The Prime Minister said he has also asked Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation Chang Lih Kang to list 100 scientists in the field of biotechnology to organise programmes aimed at attracting students’ interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in 100 schools across Malaysia.
Anwar also wanted a report on the matter to be sent to him within two weeks.
“I have informed Lih Kang to work more closely with the Ministry of Education so that the organising of the programmes can be accelerated and increase the interest of young people in STEM.
“My concern is that we are talking about digitilisation, artificial intelligence (AI) and bioeconomy, and we want to make that our approach reaches as many people as possible.
“So can biotechnology companies, agencies and the relevant ministries go down to schools and give some exposure to the students like once a month, just two or three hours?” he said.
Meanwhile, Anwar also announced that the government will provide an additional allocation of RM2 million for the implementation of the Bio-based Accelerator (BBA) programme this year in order to help the bio-based industry become more innovative and technologically savvy and further increase the workforce in STEM.
“With the encouragement from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) and the cooperation of Bioeconomy Corporation, BioNexus and BBA companies can ensure Malaysia has a highly qualified STEM workforce to drive innovation and sustainable development in the bioeconomy sector.
“That’s why, I fully support MOSTI and Bioeconomy Corporation to further improve the BBA programme and BioNexus status,” he said.
