MINISTRY TO INVESTIGATE ADAX
Gobind expects complete report on project to be presented soon
THE Communications and Multimedia Ministry has called for an investigation into a project called Asean Data Analytics Exchange (ADAX) under the scope of the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) that aims to develop the ecosystem and build a critical mass of talent pool in big data analytics.
Its minister, Gobind Singh Deo, said the ministry had received numerous queries on the matter, including whether there was a conflict of interest between the programme managers and training providers.
“A probe is being undertaken by MDEC into the matter. I am informed that MDEC has further requested the National Audit Department to conduct an audit, which is underway, on the said project.
“I expect a complete report on the said project to be presented to me soon.
“For now, there is no assumption made that anyone has committed any misconduct nor committed any offence in the matter,” he said.
Gobind also reiterates his commitment towards ensuring transparency and integrity in every department and agency under the purview of the Communications and Multimedia Ministry.
ADAX, a public-private partnership between MDEC and the Centre of Applied Data Science, enables businesses, governments and professionals to adopt data analytics and empower decision-making and innovation.
As one of five key enablers of the big data analytics ecosystem, MDEC’s target was to nurture 20,000 data professionals, including 2,000 data scientists, under the project by 2020.
Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are starting to adopt data analytics and innovate their business models to stay relevant in the market.
It was reported that there had been encouraging response from the SME segment, with 20 per cent of its 2,378 data professionals being SME business owners.