​WELCOMING ADDRESS BY

YANG MULIA AWANG HAJI MOHAMMAD NAZRI BIN

HAJI MOHAMMAD YUSOF

PERMANENT SECRETARY

MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT & INFOCOMMUNICATIONS

AS

CO-CHAIRMAN I OF BICTA 2019 STEERING COMITTEE

AT

BICTA 2019 AWARDS CEREMONY

ON

WEDNESDAY

18 MUHARRAM 1441H | 18 SEPTEMBER 2019

2.30 PM

AT

THE CORE, LECTURE HALL,

UNIVERSITI BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

Alhamdullilahi Rabbil `Alameen Wasaalatu Wassalaamu `Ala Asyrafil Ambiae Walmursaleen, Saidina Muhammadin Wa'alaa Aalihiee Wasahbihee Ajama'een

Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Abdul Mutalib Bin Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Setia Dato Paduka Haji Mohammad Yusof,

Minister of Transport and Infocommunications;

Yang Mulia Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Matsatejo bin Sokiaw,

Deputy Minister of Energy, Manpower and Industry, and Chairman of the Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI);

Yang Berhormat

Dayang Siti Rozaimeriyanty binti Dato Seri Laila Jasa Awang Haji Abdul Rahman, Member of Legislative Council and AITI’s Member of Authority;

Permanent Secretaries;

Deputy Permanent Secretaries;

Yang Mulia Sheikh Haji Abas bin Sheikh Mohamad, Chairman, Infocom Federation Brunei (IFB) as Co-Chairman II of BICTA 2019 Steering Committee;

Members of BICTA 2019 Steering Committee;

Senior Government Officials, Representatives from the ICT industry, BICTA 2019 Judges and Participants, Friends from the media;

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Selawat and salam to our beloved Prophet Muhammad S.A.W, his family and companions (Peace be upon Them).

Assalamu'alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh and good afternoon;

1. On behalf of the BICTA 2019 Steering Committee, it is my pleasure and honour to welcome you all to the Brunei ICT Awards (BICTA) 2019 Awards Ceremony.

2. We are very honoured to have Yang Berhormat Dato as our Guest of Honour for this afternoon’s event. Yang Berhormat Dato’s presence today illustrates your unwavering support and encouragement towards ICT innovation and growth of our local ICT talents.

3. We are also pleased to see the attendees today from the various stakeholders including government entities, learning institutions and private organizations, which clearly shows the high level of interest and support towards our efforts and initiatives. Alhamdulillah and thank you very much.

Yang Berhormat Dato, Ladies and Gentlemen,

4. The BICTA awards is the annual flagship ICT event that aims to promote and encourage innovation and creativity in ICT amongst individuals and organizations, particularly students and MSMEs. Year after year, the BICTA awards identify and recognize outstanding innovations, research and development in various areas of the ICT sector. As we have seen from past awards, this process not simply recognizes great works already done but also provides impetus for players to continue working towards building a robust ICT sector and improving the lives of our society through digital innovation and solutions.

5. This year’s BICTA Awards carries the theme ‘Innovation for Digital Nation’ which emphasizes the importance of innovation as we strive towards digital transformation for Smart Nation to achieve Brunei Darussalam’s Vision 2035. It is hoped that this digital generation will produce the latest technological developments or innovative products as catalysts for the digital economy to stimulate the country's progress towards competitiveness and economic growth.

6. Also incorporated in BICTA 2019 is BICTA Plus which serves as a platform for BICTA participants to benefit from mentorship and specialized programmes conducted by expert trainers. BICTA Plus covers a wide array of topics, ranging from ideation and validation, business plans, intellectual property and developing market-ready products which will enable participants to enhance their capacities and skills as well as improve their product quality prior to competing in BICTA 2019.

Yang Berhormat Dato, Ladies and Gentlemen,

7. This year, BICTA has strengthened its partnership efforts among ICT industry organizations and government agencies to establish a wider outreach and larger scale of participation. Alhamdulillah, apart from our existing partners - the Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) and InfoCom Federation Brunei (IFB), BICTA 2019 has also acquired strong collaboration and support from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Religious Affairs, Darussalam Enterprise (DARe) and BruIPO. As such, BICTA 2019 has recorded an increase of about 38% from last year’s participation with a total of forty entries for the three (3) categories, namely the School Category, Tertiary Category and ICT Industry Category. We are pleased to note that of the 40 entries this year, 13 are from schools, 10 from tertiary education institutions and 17 are from the ICT industry. This has indicated an increase in participation from schools and education institutions compared to last year.

8. As we progress towards Industry Revolution 4.0, BICTA 2019 also recognises participants showing high potential in several key areas including IR4.0 through presentation of five (5) Special Awards. These awards include Research and Development Project, Big Data Analytics Technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technology, Internet of Things (IOT) Technology and Start Up.

Yang Berhormat Dato, Ladies and Gentlemen,

9. Every year, BICTA has been able to bring outstanding ICT solutions and applications to the next level through competition at the Asia Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) Awards. Brunei Darussalam’s participation in APICTA since 2008 has managed to win two (2) awards and twenty-five (25) merit awards to date. This year’s BICTA winners for each category will represent Brunei Darussalam to compete in this prestigious APICTA 2019 Award in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam on 18th to 23rd November. Inshaa Allah, we hope to see more of our winners emerging from this APICTA 2019 award, making our country proud on the global stage.

Yang Berhormat Dato, Ladies and Gentlemen,

9.Before concluding, I wish to extend our heartiest gratitude to Yang Berhormat Dato Minister of Transport and Infocommunications for your gracious presence this afternoon as our Guest of Honour.

10. I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate all winners and participants of BICTA this year. I am sure you are also tomorrow's winners, inspiring others to follow suit, and helping to drive our future with innovative products, applications and solutions you bring to our businesses and society. I wish you all the best for APICTA 2019 and your future undertakings.

11. I would also like to congratulate the organizing team from the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Religious Affairs, AITI, IFB and DARe for their successful co-ordination of this BICTA 2019 event. My sincere gratitude is also extended to all the judges whom have spent time and effort to adjudicate all the BICTA entries.

Thank you.

Wabillahi Taufik Walhidayah, Wasalamu Alaikum Warrah Matullahi Wabarakatuh.