After more than 10 years, Malaysia has once again been chosen to host the World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT). WCIT is a signature event of the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) since 1978. Malaysia last hosted WCIT in Kuala Lumpur in 2008.

The WCIT event, which was originally slated to be held in Penang in September last year had to be postponed to 2022 due to the imposition of lockdowns caused by the pandemic outbreak. Nonetheless, Penang, the “Silicon Valley of the East”, has been selected to hold this prestigious and reputable international convention physically among worldwide IT leaders in 2022.

Back then, Kuala Lumpur held WCIT2008 and managed to secure total sales and investments worth RM8.3 billion with over 20,000 jobs created. It was reported that 800 business meetings were held over the event, creating more than RM1.24 billion in business opportunities for the Malaysian information and communications (ICT) technology industry.

InvestPenang is delighted to be part of the exclusive interactive panel discussion on “WCIT 2022 – Connecting Malaysia to The World” held on 6^th August 2021, organized by Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), in conjunction with Malaysia Tech Months. Dato’ Loo Lee Lian, Chief Executive Officer of Invest Penang, has been invited as one of the panellists for this session. Dato’ Loo Lee Lian, together with Ong Kian Yew, Chief Executive Officer, PIKOM (National Tech Association of Malaysia); Raymond Siva, Senior Vice President, Investment and Brand & Chief Marketing Officer, MDEC; Dr Sean Seah, Deputy Chairman PIKOM (National Tech Association of Malaysia) and WITSA (World IT and Services Alliance); Cheah Kok Hoong, Organising Chair WCIT 2022 and Dr James Poisant, Secretary General, World IT and Services Alliance had an informative discussion on how WCIT 2022  is going to make an impact to Malaysia, to position Malaysia and Penang as the hub of digital ASEAN and connecting Malaysia to the world. The panellists opined that WCIT2022 is one of the key Malaysia National agenda and an economic recovery booster, a platform to showcase how to use technology and digitalization for betterment of humanity. WCIT aims to not only showcase the latest technologies and drivers of economic growth, but the importance of bridging the digital divide and ensuring that the needs of most vulnerable in society are addressed. WCIT 2022 is also a further catalyst to bring digital across Malaysia and to the growing prominence of Malaysia in information technology (IT).

Dato’ Loo, representing InvestPenang, the lead agency for WCIT for the State said: “Penang playing host next year to WCIT2022 MALAYSIA, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a world-renowned colourful tourist stop and a rich melting pot of cultural diversity, excellent and strategic in location and international accessibility and most importantly, a high-tech global base with the excellent backdrop of robust E&E ecosystem and semicon industry that will definitely offer a distinct experience to delegates”. Technology players around the world are encouraged to leverage on WCIT2022 as a platform to explore opportunities to elevate and expand their businesses with a specific focus in the Southeast Asia region.