Izah Azahari
Over 450 participants attended the Brunei Business Conference 2023 themed ‘Equity. Sustainability. Opportunity’, held at the Indera Samudra Grand Hall, The Empire Brunei yesterday.
Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah officially launched the event.
Chair of ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN BAC) Brunei and Chief Executive Officer of Dynamik Technologies Haslina binti Haji Mohd Taib said the conference is a unique opportunity for business leaders from Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and ASEAN member states to come together to discuss key priorities for economic integration, digital innovation and sustainable growth in the Asia-Pacific and Southeast Asian regions.
“With the shared focus on finance and inclusion, this gathering of thought leaders will undoubtedly result in insightful and innovative discussions that will shape the future of business in the region,” said Haslina.
She also noted that ASEAN BAC will be hosting the Borneo roundtable bringing together stakeholders in the Borneo economy to discuss greater collaboration and economic integration across the world’s third largest island.
“We will discuss how Brunei, Sabah, Sarawak and Kalimantan can work together to grow the regional economy and also create Dagang Borneo.
“This is an exciting initiative that can bring significant benefits to the Borneo economy and we look forward to the collaborative discussions,” she added.
The ASEAN-BAC Chair said there is need to address the challenges of digitalisation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic to achieve an inclusive digitally integrated and sustainable future.
“We collectively need to invest in education, upskilling and retraining to ensure technology adoption include micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). a people-centric approach is key to helping with the preparedness and to ensure a snowballing effect towards digital transformation.”
Chair of the APEC BAC (ABAC) Brunei and Executive Director of LVK Group of Companies Nik Hafimi binti Abdul Haadii highlighted the opportunity to stress the importance of inclusivity in the community and economy.
“We must be cognisant of the needs of the underserved and underrepresented, including women, youth, the indigenous and our MSMEs,” she said.
Yesterday, the conference held three panel discussions that explored ASEAN and APEC in 2023; digital and inclusive growth; and sustainable growth and energy transition.
The Brunei Business Conference is part of the Brunei Economy Programme held in partnership with Darussalam Assets, Brunei LNG, Baiduri Bank, Hengyi Industries, Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam, Brunei Gas Carriers, Brunei Shell Petroleum Company, Huawei, Mitsubishi, TotalEnergies, imagine, Brunei Fertilizer Industries, Brunei Methanol Companies, Darussalam Enterprise, Brunei Economic Development Board, Royal Brunei Airlines, Radio Television Brunei, Borneo Bulletin and Media Permata.
