A support office will be set up for Malaysian technology companies looking to enter the Saudi market.

The office, being set up by MSC Malaysia and the Multimedia Development Corporation, will be located in Riyadh.

“The establishment of an in-country operation in Saudi Arabia will provide Malaysian technology firms with a considerable edge when it comes to expanding into the kingdom,” said Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) general manager Fairuzzudin Nasron.

“By providing logistical support, ground know-how, and advice to our national IT industry, MDeC will be ensuring that Malaysia becomes the partner of choice for Saudi Arabia’s public and private sectors,” he said. 

MSC Malaysia is a national initiative spearheaded by the Malaysian government to promote both the national ICT industry and provide a test-bed for the global ICT industry.  MSC Malaysia provides a conducive enabling environment designed to facilitate companies to harness the full potential of ICT and multimedia technologies.

Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) is a unique high powered government-owned corporation, established to facilitate the development and promotion of MSC Malaysia, the premier Malaysian ICT initiative.

The initiative follows the company's participation at the Gitex Riyadh, where Tan Sri Abdul Halim Ali, chairman of MDeC, received Mohamed Jamil Al Mula, Minister of Communications and Information Technology Saudi Arabia, at the company's stand.

Staffed by a number of experienced IT professionals, MDeC’s Riyadh-based representative office will provide support to coordinate joint projects in the field of information technology.

“We aim to assist Saudis wishing to establish businesses in Malaysia and provide opportunities for Malaysian businessmen in Saudi Arabia via the chamber in ICT sector and production services,” said MDeC CEO Badlisham Ghazali.

Malaysian technology firms have already scored a number of successes in Saudi Arabia, including several memorandum of understandings (MoUs) between MDeC, ICT research and development company Mimos Bhd, and Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (Sagia) marking Malaysia's participation in the Knowledge Economic City (KEC), one of the kingdom's biggest development projects.

In February this year, MDeC and Mimos signed another MoU, with the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) for the provision of ICT development solutions to member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Conference, while security solution and consultancy provider SCAN Associates won a contract to provide the Commission for Information Technology and Communications (CITC) with the Kingdom’s first national ICT security plan.

“The Malaysian IT industry has the capabilities, the expertise, and the experience to add significant value to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. MDeC will be able to provide a helping hand from Riyadh to our country’s solution providers so they can focus on what they do best, by providing world class technology. We look forward to developing our own presence in Riyadh and across Saudi Arabia to show the kingdom what Malaysia is capable of,” added Ghazali. – TradeArabia News Service