MALAYSIA READY TO HELP OIC NATIONS
A few of the member countries have agreed on the collaboration, says minister
MALAYSIA is ready to lend a helping hand to developing Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries to develop the science, technology and innovation (STI) industry in their respective countries.
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau said a few OIC member countries have agreed on the collaboration, based on bilateral meetings held prior at the OIC Summit which started yesterday.
He added that Uganda, for example, wants to emulate the framework for STI policy that Malaysia is currently driving.
“We also had a bilateral meeting with Turkey and Palestine on Saturday. There were different concerns but at the end of the day, our main concern is that we need to create jobs and we need to drive the economy.”
“Therefore, we cannot look at the STI sector on its own anymore. No country in the world has ever achieved the level of progress that it has achieved without STI,” Wilfred told NST Business in an interview, here, yesterday.
Wilfred is on a working visit, here, to attend the OIC Summit 2017.
It is the first OIC Summit that will focus on science and technology.
The summit will also see the Adoption of Astana Declaration, which include the framework of the OIC 2025: Programme of Action and the Outcome Document of the Astana Summit.
Wilfred said the Astana Declaration would be a historical event as this is the first time OIC would come up with its own specific documented agenda and declaration on ensuring the STI industry continues to be the driver of economy.
“It is crucial for Malaysia to play an active role to advocate the direction of this first ever declaration so that our interests would be well expressed, captured and embedded,” he added.
He said Malaysia has seen the science and technology industry as a driver to its economy and the country is pushing for more talents in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The OIC member states are developing countries from Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East.
Malaysia is one of the founding members of OIC since its establishment in 1969.
The OIC Summit in Astana was opened yesterday by Kazakhstan president Nursultan Nazarbayev.
The event was attended by various world leaders and head of states including the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain, to name a few.