His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah ibni His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office consented to grace the Asia Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) Awards 2024 welcoming gala and official opening as the guest of honour at Indera Samudra Grand Hall, The Empire Brunei last night.
Upon arrival, His Royal Highness was greeted by Minister of Transport and Infocommunications Pengiran Dato Seri Setia Shamhary bin Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Mustapha, APICTA Chairman Fulvio Inserra and Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications (MTIC) Ir Haji Mohammad Nazri bin Haji Mohammad Yusof as Co-Chair I of APICTA Awards 2024 Working Committee.
Also greeting the royal arrival were InfoCom Federation Brunei (IFB) Chairwoman Pengiran Sarimah binti Pengiran Haji Abdul Latiff, as Co-Chair II of APICTA Awards 2024 Working Committee, and Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) Chief Executive Ir Haji Jailani bin Haji Buntar. The ceremony began with a welcoming address by the minister, followed by a speech by the APICTA chairman.
His Royal Highness then officiated the launch of the APICTA Awards 2024, marking the beginning of the event, and received a pesambah from the minister.
It proceeded with a screening of a video on the APICTA Awards 2024, highlighting the awards categories and activities.
The ceremony also featured cultural performances and entertainment by local singers and dancers. It concluded with His Royal Highness being invited to meet and greet the delegation. APICTA Awards welcoming gala and official opening is a gathering that sets the tone for the event, serving as a welcoming platform for delegates, participants, sponsors, and guests, offering an opportunity to network and celebrate innovation in information and communications technology (ICT).
Held annually as a platform for Asia-Pacific regional competition in innovative digital products and solutions, APICTA Awards recognise the competitiveness and potential at the Asia-Pacific level with the alliance of 17 member economies.
The member economies include Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Macao, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.
The Sultanate has the privilege of hosting this year’s APICTA Awards 2024, a significant milestone that coincides with the 20th anniversary of the Brunei ICT Awards (BICTA), marking the second time that Brunei host APICTA, the first being in 2012.
It is organised by the MTIC in collaboration with AITI and IFB, welcoming over 500 delegates from the member economies including APICTA Executive Committee (EXCO), judges, competition participants, and industry representatives from the Asia-Pacific region.
Several activities have been planned throughout the APICTA Awards 2024 amongst all the Digital Brunei Exhibition, which highlights the progress of innovation and Brunei Darussalam’s commitment towards digital transformation.
It is being held from December 4 to December 6, 2024 at the Atrium, The Mall, Gadong and is opened to the members of the public from 10 am to 9 pm. – Lyna Mohamad
