The ASEAN Secretariat and Infrastructure Asia of the Singapore government held a webinar on Digital Connectivity on 13 August as part of the ASEAN Infrastructure Discussion Series.

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

More than 190 representatives from all ASEAN member states, dialogue partners, as well as financiers, multilateral development banks, private investors, and other infrastructure solution providers, participated in the virtual event.

Participants shared knowledge and experience on good-fitting technology as well as people-focused commercial and technical delivery models, towards exploring potential areas of collaboration.

World Bank Director of Digital Development Boutheina Guermazi and the United Nations Development Programme Advisor for Digitalisation and Smart Cities Calum Handforth shared multilateral perspectives and case studies on sustainable infrastructure investments on digital connectivity projects.

Representatives from private organisations, such as ASEA Brown Boveri (ABB), Element AI, JD.com, Leonie Hill Capital, and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Cooperation (SMBC), introduced their respective solutions and experiences, which could help augment digital connectivity in the region.

The webinar also highlighted the heightened interest from international investors and financiers seeking well-structured projects, particularly digital connectivity projects such as smart cities solutions, data centres, and fibre-optic network. This will present opportunities for ASEAN to further mobilise resources to support sustainable infrastructure in the region in the post-pandemic period.

Source: VNA