BARCELONA: Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo expressed his commitment to helping more players in Malaysia’s smart city industry expand their reach to the global stage.
He emphasised that local companies have great potential to compete at the global level.
“In fact, Malaysian companies are global-level companies and our role is to market these companies and seek collaboration opportunities with major international firms.
“We have great talent and outstanding companies that have achieved significant success in Malaysia,” he told Bernama before concluding his working visit to Spain and to attend the Smart City Expo World Congress 2024 (SCEWC 2024).
He also expressed confidence that more collaborations between Malaysian smart companies and Europe could be sealed as a result of this visit.
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“We brought Malaysian companies here that are looking to enter the European market, and I feel that the discussions we’ve had with European companies show there’s a strong possibility of collaboration.
“A lot of business opportunities have already been discussed, so I believe this is something that will continue going forward,” he explained.
The Digital Minister also said that Malaysia has gained various benefits from its participation in SCEWC, which can help the government formulate the right policies to ensure that smart city development benefits the people as a whole.
Gobind pointed out that the experiences and knowledge gained from this international event allow Malaysia to gain deeper insights into the best smart city solutions, as well as how to adapt these technologies and approaches to the local context.
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“(We learnt about) different aspects of smart cities, the challenges ahead, what governments need to do, what industries need to do, and how we can bring all these elements together to thrive more efficiently.
“I believe that hosting SCE Kuala Lumpur next year will position Malaysia on the global stage,“ he noted.
He also mentioned that this world-class event will provide an extraordinary opportunity for local companies to showcase their innovative technological solutions, as well as open avenues for international collaboration and partnerships.
This, in turn, will highlight Malaysia’s technological capabilities, including artificial intelligence and other digital innovations that align with global smart city trends.
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Malaysia will be the first Southeast Asian country to host the Smart City Expo (SCE) in Kuala Lumpur from Sept 17 to 19, 2025.
The hosting of the event underscores the country’s commitment to innovation and sustainable digital city development, while reinforcing its leadership role in ASEAN.
