Software giant Microsoft has underscored its commitment to empowering every person and every business in Laos.
The initiative is in line with Microsoft’s National Empowerment Plan, which aims to advance the adoption of emerging technologies for sustainable development.
Another objective is to generate new business development opportunities, especially those with positive societal impacts.
This information was outlined during the Empowering Laos’ Conference, co-hosted yesterday by the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications and Microsoft in Vientiane.
Attended by key government officials and partners, the event demonstrated how the government can leverage technology to digitally transform and support economic development. This cloud-based, digital transformation roadmap is especially aimed to enable emerging markets, such as Laos, to harness the power of technology to embark on a digital transformation journey, aligned with their national priorities.
Speaking at the government solution day event, General Manager, Public Sector, Microsoft Asia Pacific, Vivek Puthucode, said the benefits of the digital economy remain out of reach for many in emerging markets despite the enormous untapped opportunities across various industry sectors.
Our approach is to work closely with governments and public sector agencies to support them in overcoming challenges and building more cloud-enabling environments to accelerate their competitiveness, productivity and modernisation of operations through trusted technology, Puthucode said.
We have worked with governments in neighbouring Indochina countries and witnessed how they have successfully harnessed the power of technology to leapfrog to their next stage of economic development. We are confident that Laos will be able to follow suit and build on their learning as part of their own digital transformation journey, Puthucode added.
With the introduction of Microsoft Office 365 business productivity services in Laos, Microsoft also aims to set in motion a reinvention of productivity in enterprises across the nation, transforming employee collaboration and customer engagement through the power of the cloud.
Embracing trusted technology, particularly the power of cloud computing, will be key to enabling Laos’ growing economy to take a giant leap forward, propelling our nation into a lower-middle income country, said Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Dr Thansamay Kommasith.
Government Solution Day affirms our vision of working with a trusted solutions innovator such as Microsoft to drive inclusive growth transforming the way both public and private sectors operate not only by ensuring the accessibility of tools, but also by establishing the right processes and building the digital skills of our citizen.
Besides having access to the right tools, people must also know how to use them, General Manager of Southeast Asia New Markets, Microsoft Asia Pacific, Michelle Simmons said.
Looking ahead, what will be critical for Laos to thrive is digital literacy. We are working with the government to not only deliver educational programmes, but also to support the educators themselves with the right resources to impart science, technology engineering, and mathematics skills to local youth, preparing them for the jobs of the future.
Microsoft had previously inked a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Education and Sports in Laos to develop a holistic plan to leverage technology for education, covering a range of programmes that support the development of 21st century skills and employability of students.
Source: Vientiane Times
