Malaysian delegation in Qatar to push ICT partnership
DOHA .Malaysia is pushing actively to strengthen economic ties and develop partnership in information and communication technology (lCT) industry with Qatar, its second largest-project investment partner overseas after India with a high profile delegation visiting the country.
Malaysia's trade with Qatar has grown tremendously in the past two years from approximately QR270m in 2004 to QR578m in 2005. Besides, project investments by Malaysian companies in Qatar totaIed more than 5bn Ringgit, making Qatar second in terms of Malaysia's project investments abroad after India.
Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) in collaboration with the Malaysian External 1tade Development Corporation (MATRADE) are currently on a business mission to Doha to promote the Multi Media Super Corridor (MSC) Malaysia as a gateway for Middle East companies' to venture into Malaysia and markets in the region.
The Malaysian mission, which include executives from five of Malaysia's top MSC status companies are meeting with key Qatari business organizations during the Malaysia-Business Partnership Exchange seminar.
"The MDeC setup by the Malaysian government to develop the MSC is a concept of moving Malaysia to a knowledge-based economy. Under this concept we try to attract investment from global companies to set up operations in Malaysia", Abdullah Kadir Bacha, Vice President of MDeC told The Peninsula yesterday.
Bacha said the trade mission is seeking to attract' investments from Qatar in ICT sector and also looking into opportunities available in the local market for Malaysian MSC products and services in key areas including construction, education and training, telecommunications, 'hospitality, logistics and banking sector. 'We have products that are on par with those coming from Europe and US in terms of .quality. Besides, we have also developed such concepts as smart school, e-learning and hospital management that can be of interest for Qatar", he said.
The mission, he added, also offers businessmen a joint venture gateway to the markets which MSC Malaysia is already in, such as ASEAN, China and. the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC).
THE PENINSULA,
1st June, 2006