BARCELONA – The Digital Economy Centres (PEDi) will be known as National Information Dissemination Centres, or Nadi, effective Friday, according to Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
He said that in line with the new name, the role of all 911 Nadi across the country, including the additional 186 centres that will be established throughout the year, will be expanded.
“The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will make announcements and engage with Nadi managers nationwide to ensure that some aspects of branding are conducted in an orderly and good manner.
“In addition to rebranding or renaming PEDi to Nadi, there are several activities that will be revised. For example, we will raise understanding at the community level about government programmes and initiatives such as AI for the people, apart from making Nadi a centre for the dissemination of information on programmes, activities and efforts, as well as the list of government assistance,” he said.
He said this to Bernama and RTM when met after inspecting the preparations for the Malaysian Pavilion at the Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2024 here yesterday (Monday in Malaysia), which was also attended by MCMC chairman Tan Sri Mohamad Salim Fateh Din.
Fahmi is in Barcelona to lead the Malaysian delegation to the congress and is scheduled to deliver his keynote address at the opening of the Malaysian Pavilion at the congress, which is the largest annual gathering of the telecommunications industry organised by the international body, Groupe Speciale Mobile Association.
According to Fahmi, the rebranding of PEDi to Nadi, along with its duties, responsibilities, activities and programmes, was the result of a survey conducted last year, which among other things, revealed that only those living within a 2 to 3-km radius were aware of and visited PEDi.
He said that it was also in line with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s desire to have PEDi revamped in response to the increase in allowance for PEDi managers announced on November 29 last year.
“So we coordinate it based on the findings of the survey conducted throughout 2023 to ensure that the benefits of this PEDi extend beyond the immediate community… MCMC and the government spend a considerable amount, so we want to ensure that it is utilised not only in one village or a residential area, but more broadly,” he said.
He added that in order to expand the benefits of Nadi to the youth, its functions will be examined to include activities and programmes beyond the premises.
Fahmi said his ministry was ready to assist, among others, the Education Ministry in enhancing digital literacy levels among the public, particularly by addressing issues such as online fraud and educating on the benefits and risks of social media.
“We will do this through MCMC, Nadi and a number of social media platforms in collaboration with the Education Ministry, and the programme will be devised and announced later.
“I see this as a way to integrate Nadi into the community and bring these information dissemination centres closer to the community,” he said.
Meanwhile, Salim said the commission would showcase Nadi at the Malaysian Pavilion, highlighting it as an exemplary programme that helped foster and empower Malaysians, especially in rural areas, by enhancing their digital literacy and improving their socio-economic status via online businesses.
“We want to showcase Nadi to let people in the industry know its function. Nadi’s function is to provide opportunities for individuals from rural, semi-rural, and urban areas to conduct their business online and reach out to other parts of the world,” he said. – February 26, 2024