Greetings from MASSA!

As we cross the first half of 2021, Malaysia is beginning to see a faint light at the end of the pandemic tunnel when the vaccine rollout began in earnest in May 2021. We thank our Government for their efforts to provide the much-needed vaccinations for everyone residing in the country with the choice to be vaccinated. Despite the quickening pace of vaccinations, the continuing high rates of COVID infections still pose a serious threat to the economy as many businesses have to remain in lockdown. In these difficult circumstances, MASSA continues to leverage on its myriad platforms and sources to keep members informed and updated on relevant business and economic issues across the South nations.  

In this August newsletter, we would like to thank all our contributors. They include Dr Sumitra Nair, Vice-President of Talent Development and Digital Entrepreneurship at Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) for her insightful article on the increased prospects of digital-talent related jobs in the marketplace. We also thank Malaysia External Development Corporation (MATRADE), Malaysia Investment Development Authority (MIDA) and the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) for their informative articles. These insightful articles from the different Government agencies highlight their focused alignment on the digital transformation agenda that requires people processes and progressive technological process to be in upward synch to reap the efficiencies and competitiveness that this transformation can bring. We also thank Mr Rajibul Ahsan, Counsellor at the Bangladesh High Commission in Malaysia giving us the latest economic and emerging business trends in Bangladesh.

The first half of 2021 had been an eventful period for MASSA. We feature in our Diary of Events the webinars organised by the Bangladesh-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BMCCI) titled “Bangladesh-Malaysia FTA: Challenges and Opportunities for Business Community” and Showcase Bangladesh: 2021 Bangladesh-Malaysia Investment Summit organised by Standard Chartered Malaysia alongside the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA). MASSA also participated in the Online Round Table Discussion on “Connecting to the African Market – Mauritius your Investment Destination” co-organised by the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) and the Economic Development Board (EDB) of Mauritius.

On 23 June 2021, MASSA held its 30^th Annual General Meeting online and saw elected, office bearers and exco members for the new term 2021-2023.

While we had to defer some planned events, we welcome members and readers to a webinar on Cybersecurity on 18^th August 2021. Please keep a lookout for member’s weekly Circulars for the latest news and events.

Last but not the least, we want to thank our members, contributors, and associates for your support to date. MASSA remains committed to bring to members views and news from the South-South.

We wish all members and readers to stay safe and vigilant in this ongoing pandemic.

Thank you.

Ng Su Fun

Editorial MASSA