Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg (centre) visiting the Shell LiveWire Sarawak 2022 programme's product display at the Tegas Digital Village. - ZULAZHAR SHEBLEE / The Star
KUCHING: Facilities at the Tegas Digital Village innovation and entrepreneurship centre here will be improved with a hostel for visiting students, says Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
The Sarawak Premier said the proposed hostel would provide accommodation for students from other parts of the state or outside Sarawak on visits to the digital village.
Located in the Sama Jaya Free Industrial Zone, it serves as a start-up hub to promote digital innovation and entrepreneurship in Sarawak.
"In recent times many visitors, including students, have come to Tegas.
"If we have students from outside Kuching or Sarawak, they can stay in the hostel to get exposure to Tegas programmes and visit the hi-tech companies in Sama Jaya," Abang Johari told reporters after presenting the Shell LiveWire Sarawak 2022 awards at Tegas Digital Village on Wednesday (Dec 7).
He said the state government would provide funds to build the hostel.
"We will discuss its construction and design with Tegas," he said.
In his speech, Abang Johari said Sarawak's digital economy efforts were gaining recognition worldwide.
For example, he said the iSarawakCare digital platform for welfare assistance and social services had won a gold award at the London Design Awards 2022 in the digital government services category.
The platform was developed by the state Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Ministry with the Sarawak Multimedia Authority, State Services Modernisation Unit and Socoe Sdn Bhd to provide single-point access to the ministry's initiatives and assistance.
Abang Johari also lauded Sarawakians Heineken Laluan and Azuar Zainuddin for emerging as runners-up in the Shell LiveWire global top 10 innovator awards announced in Mexico City last month.
"I'm glad that Sarawakians have shown success as global players. We need people who are well trained and can see that today is the future," he said.
Meanwhile, local enterprises SPL Food Industries Sdn Bhd, Hornbill Networks Consortium Sdn Bhd, Fatin Hanna Bakes, Easygrow and Zueema Enterprise were named as winners of the Shell LiveWire Sarawak 2022 programme.
They each received start-up funding of RM10,000 from Shell and RM5,000 from Tegas, as well as a year of business coaching and access to Tegas facilities.
Shell and Tegas also extended their memorandum of understanding to collaborate in the LiveWire programme during the awards ceremony.
