Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim 

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

Yang Berhormat Pengiran Dato Seri Setia Shamhary bin Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Mustapha, Minister of Transport and Infocommunications; 

Permanent Secretaries; 

Senior Government Officials; 

Representatives from the ICT industry; 

Members of our Digital Community; 

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, 

Assalamu'alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh and a very good morning, 

1. Thank you for joining us at this inaugural Digital Brunei Stakeholder Town Hall. 

2. We are very honored to have Yang Berhormat Pengiran Dato Seri Setia Shamhary bin Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Mustapha, Minister of Transport and Infocommunications as our guest of honor for this event. Yang Berhormat Pengiran Dato’s presence today is a testament to his continued encouragement and commitment to our digital transformation agenda. 

3. Meanwhile, presence of other guests in today’s gathering also signifies our collective commitment to shaping a future with focus on building a Smart Nation through Digital Transformation, under the banner of our Brunei’s Digital Economy initiative. 

Yang Berhormat Pengiran Dato, Ladies and Gentlemen, 

4. For those who may not be fully aware of Digital Brunei, it is a flagship programme of the Digital Economy Council that aims to build Brunei as a country fully embracing innovation and digital technology in today’s age. 

5. So, the objective for today’s event is to share our plans for Digital Brunei and to have an open discussion on how we can collaborate and work together to grow the adoption of digital tools and enhance digital awareness across the full spectrum of our society. We recognize that the journey towards digitalizing Brunei is a shared responsibility that involves the government, private sector and the civil society. It is through our collective efforts and shared vision that we can truly realize the potential of a digitally advanced Brunei and a connected smart nation. 

6. To set the scene for our Town Hall, I would like to to share with you the progress we have made and the exciting initiatives we are embarking on to shape Brunei's digital future. 

Let I start with, 

Several Key Success Measures (KSMs) have been identified under the Digital Economy Masterplan 2025 with sets of initiatives and efforts to ensure the development of the digital economy in Brunei Darussalam. Among others, 

7. In terms of the contribution of the ICT sector to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) reported BND 484.8 Million in 2023. From this data, the most significant increase is 13.4% from 2019 to 2020. While in 2023, it recorded an increase of 5.0% from the previous year. 

8. According to the ICT Development Index 2024 which was recently released by the United Nation’s International Telecommunication Union, Brunei Darussalam was scored at 95.1, improving from last year’s of 94.8, and continues to be one of the highest in ASEAN. The global average score was 74.8. Brunei Darussalam’s remarkable performance was attributed to over 90% of the population having access to the internet and enjoying 4G/5G mobile network services. The launch of 5G mobile network services and upgrade of fixed broadband speed in 2023 were part of our broader initiatives to bolster the ICT sector, aiming to enhance the digital infrastructure which are core to enabling the digital transformation. We have also recently expanded our mobile network coverage across Brunei to remote areas such as Kampung Melilas and Kampung Sukang in Ulu Belait. 

9. Next, Brunei Darussalam's achievement in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2023, where Brunei Darussalam's position has jumped five places from 92nd to 87th among 132 economies. This achievement reflects continuous efforts in encouraging innovation and development technology in this country. However, there is still room for greater improvement, including development of a comprehensive National Framework for Science, Technology and Innovation (STI which aims to further improve the country's innovation landscape and increase Brunei Darussalam's competitiveness in the field of science and technology. It is believed that through careful and effective implementation, we can advance our country to a higher level in the global innovation arena, as well as improve the country's position in the Global Innovation Index (GII) in the future. 

The Digital Economy Council (DEC) has identified three key flagship projects as the backbone of transformation that will be the main pillars of digital ecosystem development that are conducive to creating digital transformation as a whole, namely 

10. National Information Hub (NIH) was launched in June 2021, facilitates secure data sharing (which comprises of People Hub, Land Hub, Business Hub) and utilization across government agencies. This project is pivotal in enhancing inter-agency collaboration and ensuring data-driven decision-making. 

11. In our journey towards a digital nation, the Digital Identity is a critical milestone. Set to be soft launched by the end of this year, this initiative will provide a verifiable government issued credential as well as secure single sign-on function for all government services. This project will not only streamline service delivery but also bolster our efforts towards a more inclusive digital society. 

12. Meanwhile the Digital Payment Hub, which is expected to be launched by end of this year is a platform to facilitate seamless and instant transactions among consumers, driving financial inclusion and economic efficiency. By embracing digital payments, we are taking a significant step towards a cashless society, enhancing convenience and security for all. This platform will also enable our economy to be better connected globally. 

13. In addition to the Flagship projects, another key transformative initiatives are the enhancement to the government's digital services strategy: Gov.BN. This platform provides the public with easy access to a wide range of government services, enabling citizens to perform tasks such as renewing licenses, paying bills, and accessing public information online. Gov.BN exemplifies our commitment to making government services more accessible, efficient, and user-friendly for all Bruneians. 

We also have, 

14. Outside of these digitally driven projects, several other initiatives are also underway under each Ministry that seeks to leverage digital technologies to achieve desired business goals. For example, under MTIC we are pursuing projects that is focused on developing more efficient processes at the Land Transport Department, and deploying technology to achieve its goal for a total business process transformation across all its processes. And this is the critical point, whereby technology needs to be deployed to achieve business goals and not the other way around. 

15. In this regard, the Ministry via the Land Transport Department has also issued late December Request for Information (RFI) on Public Transportation, so that stakeholders may better understand what is available, and how that can potentially be leveraged to achieve our goals in the space. I would like to thank those that have participated and submitted their RFIs and would like everyone to keep a look out on the upcoming Request for Proposal (RFP) that will be issued by the Land Transport Department shortly. 

Where are we without implementation. Here, lie efforts to Strengthening Digital Project Implementation 

16. Several steps have also been taken to strengthen the implementation of digital projects. This includes the strengthening of the Project Management Framework (PMF) under the E-Government National Centre. Through this initiative, we continuously promote the use of the PMF across the whole of government that outlines the end-to-end process for the preparation, implementation, and closing of a project. Documents such as the Business Process Improvement document and Change Management document are some of the mandatory documents that have been highlighted. EGNC has recently held a series of workshops that was also open to the private sector stakeholders, and I hope that we can all work together to ensure the effective delivery of government digital projects. 

People, the whole world are talking about Artificial Intelligence 

17. While digital transformation offers many benefits to society, digital literacy and cyber awareness have not matched the pace of digital adoption creating opportunities for cybercrimes and online scams to flourish. It is becoming imperative that we have to work together to protect our digital infrastructure and also raise the levels of awareness and improve digital literacy in our society. We must prioritize cybersecurity to safeguard our data, maintain trust, and ensure the resilience of our digital systems. Hence, the establishment of Cybersecurity Brunei (CSB) in 2020 which is responsible for monitoring and coordinating efforts at the national level in dealing with cyber security threats. Following that, Cybersecurity Order (CSO) was enacted in May 2023, which aims to ensure the measures (measures) set to prevent, manage in dealing with cyber security threats and incidents. Thus, one of the reasons we are gathered here today is also to build a digital community founded on trust and collaboration to create an environment where digital technologies can flourish. 

18. Meanwhile, AI is continuously gaining traction globally. According to the Government AI Readiness Index 2023 report [Source: Oxford Insight study that UNESCO is also referencing], Brunei Darussalam was ranked at 74th place over 190 countries. This annual assessment measures how prepared governments are to incorporate AI into public services, which evaluating aspects including: 

•Government policies and strategies for AI; 

•Regulatory environment for trustworthy AI; 

•Investment in AI research and development; 

•Availability of AI talent and skills; and 

•Infrastructure for data collection and analysis 

Global governance trends saw increased international collaboration on AI, especially on AI governance and ethics. A robust global governance framework for AI is therefore essential to equitably distribute the benefits of this technology and effectively address and mitigate its risks. 

As the AI ecosystem is still emerging locally, efforts have been put in place in identify an appropriate way forward. In the meantime, we continue to emphasize on the importance of good governance to guide the development and deployment of such technology. An AI Governance and Ethics Working Group led by AITI, and comprising members from the government organizations, private sector organizations and academia has been established to draft a national Guide on AI Governance and Ethics for Brunei Darussalam. 

At the onset, we started with call to collaborate and work together 

19. Collaboration between the government, private sector, academia, and the community is crucial for the success of our digital initiatives. We invite each one of you to share your views on how we can grow and enhance digital adoption and digital awareness in Brunei. Your insights and experiences are invaluable as we strive to create a digital ecosystem that benefits all. 

20. Thank you for your attention, and I look forward to our continued collaboration in driving Brunei's digital transformation. 

Wabillahi Taufik Walhidayah, Wasalamu Alaikum Warrah Matullahi Wabarakatuh.