KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 10 — As a multicultural society with a keen interest in embracing the digital economy, Malaysia is well-positioned to help local enterprises to tap into the some of the largest markets across the globe, said Alibaba Group.
Its global initiatives vice president, Brian Wong, said on its part, Alibaba would continue to support Malaysian businesses and help them achieve their fullest potential during this transformative period.
“The world is in the midst of the Fourth Industrial Revolution – one that is firmly grounded in the digital economy.
“E-commerce will benefit many aspects of the Malaysian society. Apart from promoting rural development and economic inclusion, it also creates the impetus for small and medium enterprises to innovate and tap into the enterprising spirit of the young people, in particular, to speed up business development and create more jobs,” he said in a statement here today.
Wong was part of Alibaba Group that shared and outlined the steps it has taken to continue its support for the growth and transformation of Malaysia’s digital economy, through a presentation at Malaysia’s second annual national eCommerce Day.
Wong provided a comprehensive update on the number of Malaysian entrepreneurs who have benefited from courses at various Alibaba institutions, such as the Alibaba Business School.
He also spoke on the DESA project – a promising programme extending the reach and opportunities in the digital economy to rural communities around Malaysia.
“The programme was created by four enterprising locals following their participation in an Alibaba Netpreneur Training course,” he said.
With the support of the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Lazada and their respective partners, the DESA project initiative seeks to establish a dedicated platform for rural-based businesses to be able to participate in and benefit from the digital economy.
Inspired by their introduction to the Taobao Village concept when they were in China, a product of rural villagers banding together to learn how to sell their produce on Taobao, the pilot project in Bentong, Pahang, will help rural producers of organic rice, raw ginger, ginger powder, soy sauce and Sempalit groundnuts to market their wares to online consumers across Malaysia and new markets around the world.
Alibaba Group has empowered and supported all levels of the society including public, private and educational sectors with various initiatives, touching hundreds of digital entrepreneurs and thousands of university students.
These initiatives include the New Economy Workshop, eFounders Fellowship, Alibaba Netpreneur Training and the Global eCommerce Talent (GET) programme.
The New Economy Workshop is a four-day module for government officials with lectures and seminars by senior executives on e-commerce, financial technology, logistics, platform governance and government policies.
Meanwhile, the UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) and Alibaba Business School’s eFounders Fellowship is a 12-day course for digital entrepreneurs to learn from real-life case studies and to-date, eight classes have been conducted with over 270 entrepreneurs from across Asia and Africa completing the programme.
Alibaba Netpreneur Training is a 10-day programme for local traditional business leaders aspiring to digitise their companies or the digital enablers who help them to transform.
“To date, there have been three editions held in Malaysia, with a total of 145 netpreneurs graduating from the initiative,” said Alibaba Group.
The GET initiative is a five-day programme for local trainers in universities, which aims to empower participants to better equip their students with knowledge of the e-commerce industry and foster talent for the digital economy.
“Since its launch in 2018, Alibaba has trained 200 people from 30 Malaysian academic and training institutions with a combined student population of 3,996, in collaboration with five GET-certified universities in Malaysia,” it said. — Bernama
