Malaysia accelerates digital economic development in remote areas

The Digital Economy Centre (PEDi), which was created to offer collective Internet access for the less privileged in rural areas, now serves as a catalyst for the digital economy to help uplift the socio-economic status of local communities.
Malaysia accelerates digital economic development in remote areas ảnh 1Illustrative photo (Photo: rakansarawak.com)
Kuala Lumpur (VNA) - The Digital Economy Centre (PEDi), which was created to offer collective Internet access for the less privileged in rural areas, now serves as a catalyst for the digital economy to help uplift the socio-economic status of local communities.

Speaking at the PEDi MADANI conference on November 29, Communications and Digital Minister of Fahmi Fadzil said that PEDi has offered training programmes in ICT, digital entrepreneurship and e-learning to benefit community members, especially those involved in the micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMSEs), youths and students, in addition to value-added services including digital health services, cashless transactions and one-stop online bill payments.

He said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has conducted a study to assess the impact of PEDi as a one-stop centre to drive the socioeconomic status of local communities and enhance human capital development.

Among the findings obtained is an active usage rate of 94%, which indicates the loyalty of users towards PEDi, he said, adding 89% of the respondents in the study also provided positive feedback on the services and programmes offered by PEDi while the net promoter score indicated that 70% of respondents would encourage others to visit the centre.

According to Fahmi, MCMC, Shopee and PEDi staff members have achieved the target to conduct digitisation efforts involving 7,000 entrepreneurs this year through the e-commerce platform with a sales value totalling 15.7 million MYR (3.3 million USD).

Since 2021, the initiative has garnered 55.4 million MYR in sales value.

PEDi is also supported by service providers such as Telekom Malaysia, CelcomDigi, Maxis and Redtone, providing e-learning programmes for less privileged students./.
VNA

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