KUCHING: Sarawak’s digital initiatives will pick up momentum following the signing of memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) and IDEMIA Malaysia.

SMA chief executive officer Dr. Anderson Tiong Ing Heng said the MoU is a follow-up of the Asia-Pacific Cybersecurity Conference held in May.

“Following this MoU, SMA is more interested in knowing the progress or outcome of the effort for the well-being of the people of Sarawak,” Tiong said in a press statement.

Meanwhile, IDEMIA Malaysia Sdn Bhd vice president of sales for Asia-Pacific region, Gaurav Gupta, who led the delegation to the MoU signing, said he was proud to support Sarawak’s digital economic development agenda.

“We are very pleased to assist the Sarawak government in achieving digital transformation, especially in the fields of border security innovation and road safety.

“This MoU marks the beginning of a digital transformation journey that can showcase IDEMIA’s technology and expertise and support the efforts of the Sarawak government,” he said.

He said the digital transformation’s influence and significance are far-reaching, with the potential to propel Sarawak’s advancement and engage the entire community.

The MoU was signed by Anderson and Alexander Chu, the acting head of Digital Economy Policy, Planning, and Monitoring Unit, representing SMA. Gaurav and Wong Pik Lung, chief service officer for Rest-of-Asia APAC, represented IDEMIA during the signing ceremony held at the SMA headquarters.

This collaboration marks the inception of SMA and IDEMIA’s endeavours to formulate a comprehensive implementation strategy for Sarawak’s digital initiative.

The formal exchange of the MoU between SMA and IDEMIA is scheduled to take place during the International Digital Economy Sarawak Conference (IDECS) at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) later today, witnessed by Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.