Greetings from MASSA !

2022 was a year of challenges and recovery for businesses and governments. Towards the second half of 2022, we saw the world slowly but eagerly returning to normalcy as markets begin to open up.

In this April newsletter, we feature the Republic of Tajikistan. We thank the Ambassador of the Republic of Tajikistan to Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, H.E. Ardasher S. Qodiri for his contributions, the country feature on the Republic of Tajikistan and his article titled ‘Malaysia and Central Asia – A Cursory Glance at Cooperation and Interaction’. The Country Feature on the Republic of Tajikistan reveals an interesting country with numerous opportunities waiting to be tapped. We were also pleased to report that H.E. Ardasher S. Qodiri paid a Courtesy Call on our President, Tan Sri Azman Hashim on 23 February 2023.

This newsletter also reports on a MASSA led Visit to the Malaysian Research Accelerator for Technology and Innovation (MRANTI) on 21 February 2023 wherein participants were introduced to the role and function on this agency under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI). The Visit also met two tenants of MRANTI, namely Ts. Tharmaindran G, CEO at Bnetworks, IoT Consultant for Property Technology and Mr Daniel Liew Chee Kin, Co-Founder, Sophic MSC. They shared how MRANTI had supported their startup journey and helped them grow. MASSA had also collaborated with the Export – Import Bank of Malaysia Berhad (EXIM Bank) to organise a successful Business Briefing and Networking Session with Central Asia on 14 March 2023, which saw the participation from all five Central Asian nations, namely, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan.

We want to thank our members, ex-officio, contributors, and partners for your support to date. MASSA remains committed to present to members, trade and investment leads from the South-South countries, especially in light of the post-pandemic era that requires heightened cooperation from all levels to prepare businesses for the opportunities and challenges forthcoming.

To that end, several events to keep an eye out for are in the works. Do look out from our weekly Circulars and postings in our website www.massa.net.my.

We look forward to meet members at MASSA’s upcoming events.

Thank you.

Ng Su Fun

Editorial MASSA