By Lyna Mohamad
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The NRI is an index that measures the propensity for countries/economies to exploit the opportunities offered by ICT and it establishes a broad international framework mapping out the enabling factors of such capacity.
The index has revealed several areas that need to be improved, such as the number of days to start a business in Brunei, availability of scientists and engineers, and capacity for innovation.
Minister of Communications Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia Hj Awg Abu Bakar Hj Apong disclosed this in his speech yesterday during a briefing on Online Marketing Portal for Brunei Businesses and the awarding of contract to AMIR Consortium ceremony held at the Empire Hotel & Country Club.
Clearly, improvements are expected and there is also a need to put in more effort in these areas. On the other hand, the index has also revealed the strength areas including the government's success in ICT promotion, effectiveness of law-making bodies and the government's prioritisation of ICT, he said."The online marketing portal we are witnessing today is one of our efforts to address our weakness areas. This online marketing portal complements other initiatives by other agencies such as the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources and AiTi," he said, adding that despite the different features between the initiatives of the respective agencies, he believes that they all share the same objective of facilitating and promoting the growth of SMEs.
It is of importance that these initiatives are harmonised and that the relevant stakeholders all work together, support and complement each other, and optimise resources in a more effective manner, he added.
Touching on the online marketing portal, he noted that the portal would surely complement efforts and initiatives of other government agencies and organisations towards a common goal of promoting made-in-Brunei products within and beyond the Brunei market, which in turn will help contribute towards the realisation of economic diversification.
"It is a portal which I am confident will provide a choice for the business community to be part of the global online market.
"I truly believe as demonstrated by this initiative, that national infrastructure development and service improvement can still be achieved by keeping in view that the development of local players would also be the intended results in the process so as to allow them to grow and hone their competitiveness before venturing into the regional and global markets.
"The development of local players is a strategic objective that must be pursued not just with patience but also with confidence and trust," he added.
He applauded BEDB's initiative in giving confidence and trust to a consortium of local companies to execute this project, saying that it is also in line with the focus and policy direction of the e-business Leadership Forum (EBLF) on the development and progress of e-business in the Sultanate.
"We are all aware of the rapid development and progress of the ICT industry, which has shown resilience even during times of financial turmoil and, it shows no sign of slowing down. Also on the rise is the popularity of social networking applications with its far-reaching networking abilities," he said.
Certainly with such advances and endurances, the ICT sector will not be short of new innovative applications, products and platforms that will continuously revolutionise the way businesses and transactions are conducted.
The taking off of this online marketing portal is timely in making a presence when more and more people are drawn into online applications and features.
As a platform that will enhance competitiveness of the SMEs and promote their presence at both domestic and international levels, this portal will prove itself as an easily accessible, facilitative tool for transactions not just between businesses but also for consumers.
He further highlighted the importance of access as a key enabler and contributing factor to the success of the initiatives and strategies.
He was also pleased to note that the commitment in developing and improving the network infrastructure runs in parallel with the technological development as well as the needs of the industry.
"I also believe that initiatives such as this portal have a wide range of opportunities to explore in this ever-expanding sector. Over the last decade, when eBay and Amazon.com, to name a few, revolutionised the way we shop, online sales have grown from a $4.6 billion industry to a $31.5 billion industry, with a consistent and rapid growth each year.
"I can see now that the goal to promote the growth of our SMEs is gaining the significance that it deserves as a vital part of diversification of our economy," he added.
The minister also called for enhanced commitment by the concerned bodies to continuously invest their efforts in promoting the presence of SMEs so that they too can be a part of this expanding sector.
