EXCELLENT GOVERNMENT PROJECTS, INITIATIVES LAUDED AT GOVMEDIA AWARDS 2024
GOV’TS AND PUBLIC FACE DIVERGING PRIORITIES
APAC AGENCIES LACK DATA GUIDELINES FOR PUBLIC AI USE
HOW AFFECTIVE COMPUTING CAN TRANSFORM PUBLIC SERVICES
GOVTECH TRENDS EVERY CIO NEEDS ON THEIR RADAR
The “Hotline” initiative comes as part of Emarat Al Youm newspaper’s efforts in humanitarian community journalism locally and regionally.
The Initiative is the first of its kind launched by a newspaper in the region to focus on humanitarian cases, receiving and publishing complaints in the newspaper, as well as adopting pioneering community initiatives in the UAE; in addition to helping locals find jobs in public and private sectors.
For 14 years, the Emarat Al Youm’s “Hotline” has maintained its efforts to alleviate the suffering of the needy, bring relief to the helpless, provide medication and treatment for needy patients, and help students who need support to continue their studies. The amount raised by the “Hotline” during 2023 is 4,171,340 dirhams, contributed by donors, local associations and charitable organizations. 548 people benefited from the initiative last year, bringing the total assistance of the “Hotline” over 14 years to 422,276,650 dirhams, an amount that has gone to 6,648 people and four local institutions.
During the past years, the “Hotline” has adopted 29 community initiatives in the UAE with a total of donations of 318 million dirhams, including the “Yak Al Awn” sub-initiative, which was adopted for five consecutive seasons in cooperation with Dubai Courts and the Department of Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities in Dubai, and aims to pay the debts of financially distressed local citizens. “Yak Al Awn”
helped in releasing 709 imprisoned citizens for the amount of 93,054,630 dirhams.
“Hotline” adopted the “Cities of Good” sub-initiative in cooperation with the Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme, which aimed to build 70 homes nationwide for local citizens with limited income, or those who have family issues, in addition to cases that are not eligible in the Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme. The initiative succeeded in raising an amount of 50 million dirhams.
“Your Donation is Life” is another initiative which was adopted by “Hotline” in cooperation with the Mohammed bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences. And the initiative emphasized on Kidney transplantations. The initiative aimed to support 38 patients suffering from kidney failure and help them have kidney transplants in the Dubai. The amount raised in this initiative was an amount 22,670,000 dirhams, donated by the private sector, businessmen and community members, who adopted “Your Donation is Life”.
“Hotline” helped 280 citizens obtain jobs in government and private sectors in the UAE from 2009 to 2023. During the past years, it also launched initiatives with the Ministry of Interior to employ people of determination, under the name “We Are up for it” initiative and “Latifa’s Initiative” to employ people of determination in the public and private sectors, and helped employ 85 local citizens. “Hotline” also adopted an initiative with the Dubai Culture Authority to employ locals, as 52 vacancies were offered for citizens.
During the previous years, “Hotline” has won many awards and certificates of honour locally and regionally. Recently, the initiative was honoured in the United Arab Emirates Public Sector Initiative of the Year -
Media category at the GovMedia Conference & Awards 2024, which was held in Singapore.
Emarat Al Youm will continue providing support and assistance to those in need, as it reflects its pioneering role in serving local community and enhancing the spirit of giving and solidarity among its members. Through these efforts and initiatives, the newspaper demonstrates its commitment to achieve its humanitarian and social goals, and contribute to maintain a cohesive and sustainable society.
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**If you’re reading the small print you, may be missing the big picture caveat emptor
There is a growing disconnect in the Asia-Pacific region between what governments are focusing on and what the public cares about. Whilst governments are pushing forward with AI development, most people are more concerned with everyday issues like healthcare and national security. AI, despite its potential, does not rank as a top concern for citizens. We look deeper into this widening gap and what it could mean for future policies on page 10.
Another big issue is public trust in government. Experts have identified three key strategies that could help close the gap. To find out how governments can better connect with their citizens, turn to page 8.
Of course, public trust is not the only challenge. Different sectors across the region are dealing with their own struggles. In China, the rural banking sector is going through tough times, with many banks closing due to consolidation efforts. You can read about the bigger picture on page 16. Meanwhile, in Singapore, the government is loosening taxi regulations to ease driver shortages, but it might not be a lasting fix—check out the full story on page 15. In Malaysia, new social media regulations are stirring up debates about free speech and data privacy. Find out more on page 18.
We are also excited to celebrate some of the incredible government projects happening across the region with the GovMedia Awards 2024. This year’s winners have really raised the bar for innovation and public service. Whether it’s digital advancements or social initiatives, these projects highlight the dedication and creativity driving change. You can see the full list of winners and their inspiring work on pages 20 to 23.
With you in service,
Tim Charlton
Expo
People’s concerns over the security of their personal information impact their views and confidence in public service experiences, said a new report by Accenture. 53% of people are comfortable sharing more data with agencies if it means more efficient and convenient service delivery, the report found.
With the lack of accessible and affordable care for the ageing population in Bangladesh, a report by the World Bank called for reshaping elderly care by setting up a primary healthcare service model. It aims to train the workforce on treating comprehensive health needs, instead of individual conditions.
Vietnam may be advancing towards its recently approved Power Development Plan VIII (PDP8), but experts caution that this transition comes with a hefty price tag, requiring investments of approximately $134.7b by 2030. This ambition could lead to an expensive pathway for Vietnam’s objectives.
South Korea’s recent moves to ease ownership of financial institutions will drive competitiveness amongst regional banks, but don’t expect a big shake-up in the market share. In July, the country’s Financial Services Commission (FSC) floated plans to ease rules in foreign ownership and even ownership of non-finance entities.
Despite the apparent success of the food and agribusiness industries, food systems today fall short of providing nutritious diets, supporting dignified livelihoods, and adapting to climate change. Countries are urged to overhaul their food systems for the good of both citizens and the economy.
In striving to maintain its status as a global maritime hub, Hong Kong stands at a crucial crossroads this year, recognising the need for more than just a profit tax regime to lure in more shipping companies. More work has to be done for companies to set up headquarters in the city and for more vessels to fly.
Chief Information Officers (CIOs) need to stay ahead of five crucial technology trends identified by Gartner, Inc. to tackle escalating cyberthreats and drive digital innovation. These trends offer the potential to transform government operations, improve citizen services, and build stronger, more resilient systems.
A significant trend is the increasing use of multi-agent AI in cybersecurity, projected to rise from 5% to 70% by 2028, for real-time threat responses.
“With the advent of AI, both as a means of support for security initiatives and as a potential threat vector, adaptive security is becoming essential for government operations,” Dean Lacheca, a VP analyst at Gartner, told GovMedia
Additionally, with over 500 million smartphone users expected to adopt digital identity wallets by 2026, CIOs must integrate these innovations and align adaptive security with broader digital goals.
Platform solutions
Seven in 10 government agencies are also anticipated to use AI for decisionmaking by 2026.
“There’s no doubt of the real focus on AI over the last 12 months. It’s all been about how do we bring it to bear to really support and improve that operational excellence in government,” Lacheca said.
Moreover, the adoption of platform-based solutions, such as industry clouds, will facilitate faster service delivery, supported by a multicloud strategy.
Finally, with over 60% of organisations planning to invest in programmatic data management and automation by 2026, CIOs must prioritise improving data quality and governance to effectively meet citizens’ evolving needs.
Women in Asia often pursue higher education, but many remain stuck in lower-paying jobs and struggle to reach leadership roles due to deep-rooted cultural norms and stereotypes, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF).
The WEF’s Global Gender Gap Report 2024 shows that the Asia Pacific (APAC) region is making slow, uneven progress in closing the gender gap. Eastern Asia and the Pacific ranked fourth globally in gender parity with a score of 69.2%, whilst Southern Asia ranked seventh at 63.7%.
“In the Asia Pacific region, there are still cultural norms and stereotypes that limit women’s participation in many other spaces, whether we are talking about the political space, economic space, and even in the spaces of the classroom,” sociologist Athena Charanne Presto told GovMedia
The Philippines ranked 25th and Singapore 48th in the global top 50 gender parity rankings. The Philippines’ drop from 16th highlights setbacks in gender equality, whilst Singapore struggles to translate
educational gains into higher female workforce participation.
In countries like the Philippines and Indonesia, geographic fragmentation and limited infrastructure hinder the consistent implementation of gender equality programs. Presto noted that ensuring equitable access to these interventions is particularly challenging in archipelagic nations due to geographic and economic constraints.
Once a regional leader in gender equality, the Philippines has experienced a significant decline, dropping nine places in the WEF’s 2024 gender parity rankings. This is largely due to a reduction in women’s political representation, with the country’s political empowerment score falling from 30th to 34th. This trend extends beyond the Philippines, affecting other countries in the region, particularly those led by authoritarian or hypermasculine leaders.
Whilst the Philippines ranked first globally in women’s educational attainment, this success has not translated into economic participation or leadership roles. This disconnect between education and workforce engagement is a widespread issue across APAC. Women in countries like China face similar challenges, with women representing only 9% of CEOs in 2021, according to Bain & Company.
Even when women are present in the workforce, they are often relegated to functional leadership roles in areas like human resources or legal affairs, rather than strategic decision-making positions. This trend underscores the larger issue that educational gains for women are not translating into economic empowerment.
In many APAC countries, women are still concentrated in low valueadded sectors like agriculture and retail, which provide fewer opportunities for economic mobility and decent work conditions, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has highlighted.
Chihoko Asada-Miyakawa, ILO Assistant Director-General for Asia and the Pacific, stressed the need for governments to reduce barriers that prevent women from accessing higher-paying jobs. Closing the gender gap in APAC will require more than incremental improvements. Comprehensive changes in policy and societal attitudes are needed.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way all organisations conduct business, yet only 22% of large government agencies in the Asia Pacific region have implemented AI policies. This startling gap in governance poses risks to innovation and regulation, says Ravikant Sharma, research director for government insights at IDC Asia-Pacific.
“Additionally, 47% of these agencies have shared these policies only with key stakeholders,” Sharma said.
He also highlighted a lack of published guidelines for using proprietary data and inadequate enforcement mechanisms contribute
to the slow adoption of AI policies.
Sharma pointed out that only a third of these agencies have established a committee or a board dedicated to AI governance, and of those, only 50% have appointed an executive, such as a chief AI officer, to provide oversight.
“In the absence of this mechanism, it becomes very difficult for these agencies to justify the direction and investments in a unified sort of way.”
He warned that without proper AI policies, governments might resort to overly restrictive measures or even outright bans on the technology, which could stifle innovation.
“If governments are banning the
If governments are banning the technology itself just for the sake of not having an AI policy, this is the most horrendous outcome
technology itself just for the sake of not having an AI policy, this is the most horrendous outcome,” he said.
This gap is compounded by other factors such as a skills gap, security concerns over large volumes of citizen data, and ethical considerations. These combined factors are preventing Asia Pacific governments from developing comprehensive AI regulations.
“The development of emerging technology quite often outpaces the development of policy itself,” Sharma observed. To address this gap, some governments are adopting innovative approaches, such as trialing policies in controlled environments.
“They are doing doing trials with very specific functions, such as with revenue or tax agencies, and then learning from mistakes,” Sharma said..
Governments cannot adopt a “policyfirst” approach, where they wait for policies to be fully developed before implementing AI.
Instead, governments must take innovative steps by developing AI policies in real-time through trialbased, controlled environments. They can conduct secure, small-scale trials with specific functions, such as with revenue or tax agencies, to learn from mistakes and improve policies.
Countries like Singapore, Australia, South Korea, and India are examples of markets that are addressing generative AI usage whilst developing policies in real time for the public sector, Sharma said.
Public sector leaders are more optimistic about the impact of generative AI with 56% of government respondents foreseeing a transformational change within the next year, Deloitte reported.
Compared to 24% of respondents from the commercial industry, 50% of public sector leaders expressed surprise toward technology, whilst 45% felt excitement when asked about their sentiment toward technological advancements.
This is in contrast to the emotions of leaders from the commercial industry, of whom 63% were excited and only 14% were surprised.
“This relatively low excitement could be attributed to public sector leaders’ cautious approach toward gen AI,” the report noted.
“Whilst a large majority of public sector respondents believed that generative AI would have a positive impact on society, they were 21 percentage points less optimistic than commercial counterparts that it would produce big productivity gains,” Deloitte said, noting that these gains are offset by perceived risk.
The same report found that 63% were worried that gen AI would further erode trust in public institutions.
Singapore is the only country in the study where government performance meets citizens’ expectations.
Governments and the public in Southeast Asia are on different pages when it comes to priorities. Whilst AI adoption is growing amongst governments and organisations, citizens place much more importance on healthcare and national security, with AI ranked as their lowest priority.
According to Blackbox’s Horizon ASEAN report, which surveyed 3,000 individuals across six ASEAN countries, younger generations tend to prioritise national security, while those over 35 focus more on healthcare.
Healthcare had the biggest gap between personal prioritisation and perceived national performance. This suggests that ASEAN governments must match their policy ambition with its citizens’ expectations better, Blackbox said.
Following AI as the least important is sustainability, standing at 73.6%. This can be seen in another Blackbox report, where Southeast Asians gave lukewarm responses to brands practising sustainability. Such practices influence them “just a little bit,” and would consider spending green if “all other factors like quality and price are equal,” it added.
Singapore: AI readiness
Singapore stood out as the only country in the study to show that the government’s performance is at par with the citizens’ expectations, recording neutral or positive scores in the study. This indicates progress for the city-state, said Blackbox.
Citizens think favourably of AI adoption, with the country being ranked as the most prepared for the upcoming “AI revolution”, followed by Denmark, US, Netherlands, and Estonia, according to an International Monetary Fund research.
In particular, the Ministry of Education is training its students and educators alike for the safe use of AI following plans to integrate it into schools and institutes of higher learning. Workers have also been turning to generative AI due to increased workload, with more than six in 10 expecting it to boost efficiency
within a year, according to PwC. It is also more popular amongst younger generations, as a Visa study revealed that eight in 10 Gen Zs are increasingly aware of generative AI, and are interested in using it to transform their banking and shopping experiences.
Philippines: More pessimism
Trailing behind Singapore is the Philippines, being the only country where priority versus performance delta has reduced in all five dimensions, with perceptions of government performance going upwards in all areas–most acutely in economy.
Filipino consumers turned less pessimistic in the first quarter of 2024 amidst expectations of improvements in income and employment, a Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) survey showed. The BSP confidence index amongst consumers declined by 10.9%, an improvement from the 19% contraction in the previous quarter.
However, a separate Blackbox report showed otherwise. The Philippines grapples with economic uncertainty and financial concerns, influencing their more muted economic sentiment. In the survey, 38% of Filipinos said their economy has gotten worse in the past 12 months compared to the 24% who said it has improved.
Moreover, the report said 97% of Southeast Asians, including Filipinos, have significantly changed their spending behaviour in response to inflation. Top three strategies to save included looking for cheaper purchase options online, cutting back on nonessentials, and proactively looking for discounts and cut-price offers.
Thailand: More healthcare
In contrast, Thailand’s priority versus performance delta worsened in all five dimensions, with the biggest drop in healthcare.
In January, the Thai government launched the “30-baht Treatment Anywhere” initiative, where citizens can use a single ID card to “obtain health services that are more accessible and faster.”
Despite such free programmes, reports say doctors and staff are often overworked, forcing many healthcare workers to leave the industry.
On the flip side, many Thai hospitals, particularly in Bangkok, are redesigning their frameworks into a value-based approach which delivers quality healthcare whilst keeping costs low.
Hospitals also adopted a condition-based approach to patient management, focusing on the entire journey from prevention to rehabilitation.
If utilised, it can help governments understand their citizens’ emotional needs.
When visiting a government centre, you would not expect employees to adapt to your emotions, ease your stress, or offer personalised guidance. But soon, you just might. And this tailored support will not come from a government employee—it will come from an AI-powered kiosk that can read and respond to your emotional cues in real-time.
This new technology will be powered by affective computing said Alan Holden, principal at Deloitte Consulting.
Affective computing uses sensors and machine learning to interpret emotions from facial expressions, voice, and body language, enhancing human-centred design (HCD) by capturing emotional insights whilst reducing direct human interaction
HCD, as described by Lauren Landry from Harvard Business School Online, focuses on putting real people at the heart of the development process, ensuring products and services meet their specific needs, wants, and preferences.
In government services, affective computing can enhance emotional understanding and create more empathetic service delivery. When
Agencies can tackle mental health issues through affective computing
Alan Holden
paired with AI, it enables more human-like interactions, improving user satisfaction. Emotion data is collected through techniques like facial coding, eye tracking, and electroencephalogram, offering a comprehensive view of user emotions. The market for affective computing is expected to grow from $28.6b in 2020 to $140b by 2025.
Affective computing in action Governments have similarly started the impacts of affective computing on mission outcomes. For example, when the US Special Operations Command needed to vet hundreds of Afghan commando recruits without jeopardising the safety of US personnel, it worked with a third party to use affective computingbased voice analytics software to screen 715 recruits in just 20 hours. The solution had an accuracy rate of more than 95%, with 2.4% false positives and no false negatives. Agencies can tackle mental health issues through affective computing, like when the National Institute of Health’s National Library of Medicine published a study on assessing the severity of depression in adolescents based on vocal and facial modalities in 2020. In the coming years, affective
computing is expected to be increasingly important in the public sector, offering opportunities to personalise interactions, enhance compliance, and shape the design of new products, policies, and services. It could also be used to prevent and detect fraud, optimise workforce readiness, and transform training and development processes.
Deloitte suggests that the true potential of affective computing will be unlocked when combined with technologies like generative AI, augmented/virtual reality, and digital twins. However, HCD can be time-consuming, costly, and difficult to scale. It often relies on stakeholders’ understanding of their needs and researchers’ ability to consistently translate qualitative data into actionable insights, Deloitte said. Additionally, HCD struggles to capture subtle emotional changes during automated or minimal human-to-human interactions. The rise of AI in government systems highlights the need for both efficiency and emotional intelligence in services. As a result, there is a growing demand for context-aware technologies to capture more dynamic, large-scale insights into stakeholder experiences, the report said.
Ethical, privacy concerns
Affective computing also raises ethical concerns such as privacy and surveillance issues, as these technologies collect and analyse personal emotional data.
Potential biases in emotion recognition algorithms are also concerns, given the potential for these biases to propagate discrimination or unfair treatment. Furthermore, human elements in decision-making and personal interaction could disappear due to the overreliance on automation.
These and other concerns had governments act, such as the European Union Artificial Intelligence Act, introducing a sliding scale of regulations based on an AI system’s risk, with applications that might infringe on privacy or manipulate behaviour facing strict control.
As governments explore affective computing’s potential, Deloitte said they should uphold privacy and security standards that enable trust in affective computing applications.
One of McKinsey’s key recommendations is to foster collaboration with the private sector.
Many government agencies struggle to deliver program benefits and meet the public’s rising expectations of customer service. They also face challenges in building or procuring technology and infrastructure on time and within budget amidst declining public trust, pressure to “do more with less,” and polarisation, according to a McKinsey report.
But governments can break through with three imperatives critical to their efforts, analysts said.
According to Scott Blackburn, Andrew Pickersgill, and Jörg Schubert, principal authors of the report, governments should first tackle shortcomings in customer and citizen experiences.
Positive interactions and experiences with government are more likely to spur public trust and trust in government, reducing cost in the process.
Further, satisfied government service users are nine times more likely than customers overall to trust the agency providing the service and nine times more likely to agree that an agency is achieving its stated missions.
Meanwhile, dissatisfied customers are two times more likely than
customers overall to request help three or more times, which could cost agencies money and time. Thus, the report said elevating customer service means needing leadership on new frontiers, from increased response speed to weather disasters to more efficient delivery of driver’s licences and camping permits.
Besides better customer service, McKinsey said governments should also improve productivity under fiscal pressure, estimating a global productivity improvement of US$3.5t if all countries were to raise their productivity at the rate of their fastestimproving peers.
In Singapore, growing urban challenges and digitalisation across the economy demanded a more comprehensive digital transformation.
This led to the launch of Smart Nation, an initiative aimed at improving productivity in four levers: online platforms to manage demand, an e-payment platform, consolidation of different services, and a database service to store personal information from multiple organisations.
As a result, its service throughput improved with 94% of government services digitised in 2020. Quality outcomes also improved, with 85% of
residents reporting satisfaction with government digital services, whilst 80% of businesses noted a reduction in digital transaction times.
In addition to strengthening policies, McKinsey said organisations should enhance four other functions to drive better efficiency and outcomes.
Firstly, finance functions could help departments and agencies see better outcomes, measure progress, strategise budget or investment trade-offs, and warn of potential problems ahead.
Next, governments should cultivate commercial skills to ensure big expenditure items like procurement of goods and services, major projects, and IT programs would be tangible.
Boosting digital capabilities can also rapidly transform peoples’ experiences, cut costs for people and governments alike, whilst analytics can help reduce waste and underscore which government activities help people’s lives.
Lastly, a strategic human resource function can help governments attract and develop talent that deliver better, cost-effective results.
Changing government productivity can often need a transformational approach, yet the report found that only 30% and 22% of private and public sector transformations succeed in achieving their goals. Thus, governments may need to overcome systemic habits that promote incrementalism as the returns can be outsized, it added.
To pull off these changes, the report suggested organisations should collaborate with the private sector and adopt policies that would help them thrive.
For example, the US government has partnered with private payers to create markets such as Medicare Advantage and has moved to derisk the investment in social goods, such as through the Inflation Reduction Act.
Whilst governments struggle today, new technologies, business models, and practices can potentially deliver services more efficiently.
Experts tout the care economy as an “untapped source of opportunities” for job creation, income generation, and social mobility.
Globally, women spend about three times more hours on unpaid care than men, which significantly limits their participation in paid work. This imbalance is especially evident in Southeast Asia, where the ageing population is putting increased pressure on the care economy. Yet, gender gaps in the workforce remain a major hurdle in providing fair and accessible care services.
The World Economic Forum’s report, The Future of the Care Economy, highlighted how many care systems depend heavily on unpaid care, disproportionately performed by underrepresented groups.
The WEF report further emphasized this point by mentioning how 2 million women left the workforce during the pandemic.
“In many other economies, the proportion of women from lowerearning backgrounds with children who left the workforce was higher than that of women with higher earnings,” said Kim Piaget, insights lead on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Centre for the New Economy and Society of WEF, and lead author of the report.
In line with this, Hyeshin Park, coordinator of the Gender Programme of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), highlighted a similar issue experienced in Southeast Asia.
“Today, it’s almost always women who provide those services for free at home. Tomorrow, asking women to do more is simply not going to work because the demand for such care services will be huge,” Park said.
For a clearer perspective, WEF cited a projection by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that by 2030, the share of the population over age 60 will rise by 40%, with the number of care recipients reaching about 2.3 billion, whereas the current global
care workforce is represented by approximately 249 million women and 132 million men.
“The solution is building strong, formal care sectors; with trained and certified professionals, and with facilities like daycare centres, and nursing homes,” Park said.
The OECD mentioned this to be a notable challenge for Southeast Asia.
“Building a formal care economy demands investment and training. More fundamentally, we need to confront deep-rooted social norms that define women to be the caretakers at home,” said the report.
Piaget touted the care economy as an “untapped source of opportunities” in aspects such as job creation, income generation, and social mobility amongst others.
“In 2022, the WEF projected that investing in social jobs, including those in the paid care sector, could yield triple rewards in terms of GDP returns, well-paid jobs created and social mobility,” she said.
However, unpaid care services represent 9% of global GDP or an equivalent of $11t, where an estimate of nearly 2 billion people are working
full time for no pay.
This ultimately leads to WEF describing many care systems as “broken” since they experience costly inequities that worsen economic strain and vulnerability to risk in the face of large-scale transformation.
“In failing to recognise care as an economic priority, countries find themselves without the resolve and the means to deliver it equitably,” the report noted.
Another notable gap that must be addressed in this type of economy is the access to care services, particularly affecting disadvantaged groups as it hinders their opportunities for skilling, employment, social mobility, and political representation.
Piaget noted a policy gap in childcare as one notable challenge to care access, as it leaves a great majority (90.3%) of actual and potential parents without minimum care provision for around 4.2 years. “Throughout which they must find alternative solutions themselves,” she added.
Meanwhile, market solutions are not adequately addressing the gap as only a third (36%) of companies provide maternity leave. Amongst them, only 7% meet the International Labour Organisation (ILO) standards. For paternity leaves, only 31% of companies offer them.
Piaget said that achieving care equity means having to bridge care gaps across gender, age, income, and other socioeconomic divides.
Without designated zones for power projects, wind farm developers employ a 'free-for-all' method of identifying their own sites.
Offshore wind energy presents a significant opportunity for renewable energy growth in South Korea given its geographical constraints but the country’s developerled approach to deploying such projects presents uncertainties in the development.
Unlike in the US and other European markets where the licensing authorities pre-designate an area for wind development, South Korea requires developers to find their development sites, Grant Hauber, strategic energy finance advisor at the Institute for Energy Economic and Financial Analysis said.
“[In other markets], what that does is enable preliminary studies to be done. It avoids being in sensitive areas, like where fishing or marine habitats, things that they do not want to disturb,” Hauber explained.
“In Korea, it is much more of a freefor-all, where developers have to go out and delineate a site [and] preliminarily study and then use that as an occasion for the business license,” he added.
Jinyoung Baek, managing director anbd partner at Boston Consulting Group said companies need to measure the quality of wind on the coastline themselves. Once they have identified a location, they will have to proceed with
It is much more of a free-for all, where developers have to go out and delineate a site [and] preliminarily study and then use that as an occasion for the business license
the permitting processes and resolve issues with stakeholders.
The random identification of sites also makes transmission planning to get the cable to the shore “super uncertain,” the IEEFA expert said.
Hauber said cables do not necessarily follow a straight-line route in the sea bed as developers would also need to take into account the things they have to avoid. At times, around two to three substations will be needed for interconnections. This presents another challenge for the Korea Electric Power Corporation which will be responsible for transmission interconnection.
of local communities and focus on capacity building.
“From the local government side, a local regeneration vision can be in place early on that can build long-lasting social acceptance and support for development,” she said.
Cheong added that capacity building and education to establish a workforce at a local level will help to “bridge potential gaps in understanding of offshore wind development.”
According to the GWEC, South Korea only has 150 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind projects running, far from its target of reaching 14.3 gigawatts (GW) by 2030. But overall, the country has a total of 624 GW of technical potential for offshore wind.
However, the current landscape is “extremely complex” due to the lengthy permitting processes, requiring developers to secure 22 different permits from 10 various government agencies. This then prolongs the permitting process, taking an average of seven to 10 years.
Incentives are in place to boost the development of offshore wind projects in the country. One of which is the weighting scheme for renewable energy certificates (REC), with weightings for offshore wind reaching up to 3.7, Baek said.
“It's a quite significant economic incentive. Based on this high REC weight, the operators expect to achieve a favourable project internal rate of return estimated between 8% and 10%,” he said.
This set-up leads to a lot of controversy and mistrust amongst fishing communities and environmental groups that protect marine habitats, adding more risks and uncertainty to offshore wind projects.
“Not having the actual site sort of predetermined and sanctioned by the government does not create a level playing field,” Hauber said.
Janice Cheong, policy and project manager at the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), it is difficult to garner local consensus because there is no requirement under the developerled approach to engage with the local stakeholders early on. Due to this, there is a need to incentivise the participation
Cheong also said that the sector is seeing strong momentum because of its large pipeline of projects, of which 28 GW have received electricity business licenses. The country has also conducted an annual auction for the 20-year fixedprice contract for wind for two years.
The government could also provide support by investing in the preparatory process ahead of bidding by leading the subsea surveys and laying out plots for project development, providing developers with information. “If you make that freely available to bidders, that allows them to sharpen their pencil and come up with realistic proposals that are closer to what they would be able to implement,” Hauber said.
Singapore extends taxi lifespan to 10 years and limits the frequency of inspections.
Adecade ago, Singapore’s taxi fleet was double its current size. To curb their shrinking numbers, the government eased regulations, extending the statutory lifespan of vehicles from eight years to ten and reducing mandatory inspections to once a year.
However, an expert told GovMedia that these changes are insufficient — it is likely to halt the exit of existing taxi drivers, and not attract new transport service contractors.
“The main problem is that we cannot find enough Singaporeans who want to be a taxi driver and this is a cultural problem,” said Associate Professor Raymond Ong from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS) College of Design and Engineering.
Whilst getting foreign workers to do the job is an option, Ong cited how the city state also subscribes to a quota system that limits the number of foreigners allowed in the labour workforce.
“We still need to have a substantial amount of local taxi drivers, but in this industry, unfortunately, it’s a tall call because there are so many better opportunities, especially for our younger population,” he said. “There’s also a perception-based issue of having our younger population move into the taxi industry as a driver.”
Ong emphasised that whilst extending the statutory lifespan of taxis and easing vehicle inspection frequency will help reduce costs for drivers and potentially retain them, current drivers may still choose to leave the industry, either because they no longer find it profitable, or for older drivers, they might prefer to retire rather than adapt to new adjustments.
Ong added that the measures are “unlikely” to drastically increase taxi driver numbers in Singapore.
In the short-term, however, the easing of the regulatory regime will help the current situation, since it is stemming the outflow of drivers, said Ong.
In the long term, transitioning to an autonomous fleet will help revitalise the dwindling taxi market.
What will be challenging, as per the NUS expert, is the mediumterm transition, as Singapore might struggle to attract enough drivers whilst not fully transitioning to an autonomous taxi industry.
“[We have to] carefully deal with [the issue] in the medium term. The next three to seven years will be extremely critical,” he said.
“This is a very fluid phase that we need to be very carefully working on. Even if, let’s say, pay taxi drivers a very competitive salary, this will still become a business cost to the taxi operators and the cost will eventually be transferred to the consumer because the taxi industry is not like the public bus or railway industry, where the government subsidise all the infrastructures,” he added.
The NUS expert said a fundamental re-examination of operating systems is necessary to attract younger drivers, as offering competitive salaries may not suffice.
The main problem is that we cannot find enough Singaporeans who want to be a taxi driver and this is a cultural problem
He said that if driver salaries or incurred rates were the real problem of the lack of supply, they would have been solved many years ago.
“It is likely a perception issue, which is the main problem we need to tackle. If this issue cannot be resolved, autonomous taxis will eventually have to take over because no one wants to be a driver,” Ong said.
The professor underscored that Singapore needs to save its taxi industry. “The reality is that in many situations, we will still have a segment of the population that will still need to have street hailing services, despite many of the population are already using apps. What kind of population are we talking about? Mainly the elderly,” Ong said.
Raymond Ong
“The elderly may not be able to be as tech-savvy as the younger generations, and they may have a fear of technology. So, think of it like when we implement a new technology, our grandparents may not be very comfortable with it, and they’ll just say, ‘Hey, why not I just flag or I just go to a drop-off point and wait for a taxi.’ This service is important because there are always cases that we’ll still need [it],” Ong explained.
Experts see Singapore on track to setting the age ceiling for retirement at 65 and re-employment at 70 by 2030.
In six years’ time, Singapore is set to shelter one in four citizens aged 65 and older, with the majority of them expressing a desire to remain in the workforce.
Following the previous hike in retirement and re-employment age ceilings to 63 and 68, respectively, in 2022, Singapore has announced its plan to further elevate these thresholds to 64 and 69 in 2026. The goal is set 65 as the age ceiling for retirement and 70 for re-employment by 2030.
Last year, 90% of senior workers who were eligible and wished to continue working were offered re-employment opportunities. This measure represents a step forward in Singapore’s pursuit of broader workplace inclusivity.
“Raising the retirement and re-employment ages would create more opportunities for our seniors to participate more and for longer in the labour market. This also enables businesses to tap into a wider workforce,” Ang Tze Phern, partner for the Employment Group at Rajah & Tann, told the GovMedia.
In taking this course of action, the government needs to consider
Ang Tze Phern
four key factors for its future policies, according to Ang: life and healthy years expectancy; timing and pace; government support; and terms of re-employment.
All of these have been considered by the Singapore government, which is why it is gradually implementing the age ceiling until it meets the targeted ages by 2030. Additionally, there are measures in place to provide security and support for both employers and senior workers.
Financial independence
Viewing another perspective, Seow Hui Goh, partner and head of Bird&Bird’s Singapore Employment Group, told GovMedia that from a socio-economic standpoint, the strategy is logical.
“People are living longer… want to work longer, and people are also healthier. So… it makes sense to raise the retirement and re-employment ages, which have consistently been going up,” Seow said about the government's plan.
“The retirement age isn’t mandatory. It’s just a minimum retirement age [and] you don’t have to force someone
to retire at that retirement age. I think it’s pretty unique globally, [as] it’s based on the idea that people should work into their old age for as long as they are able, and willing to do so,” she added.
The Survey on Retirement and Employment carried out by the PAP Seniors Group - Singapore (PAPSG) and NTUC U Women and Family (NTUC U WAF) showed that approximately 88% of participants aged 50 and above support a retirement age of 63 or older, whilst around 80% support raising the reemployment age to 68 or higher. The survey collected responses from 1,471 individuals from 7 to 21 August 2023.
“Culturally, and [philosophically], I think here (in Singapore), it is… seen as a positive thing to be able to support oneself to be financially independent [or] as an older person being able to contribute to the economy. So I think this stems largely [from] cultural, social, and political views of our country,” Seow told GovMedia
This adjustment will affect sectors such as wholesale and retail trade, administrative and support services, transportation and storage, accommodation and food services, and manufacturing. These are the primary industries that employ individuals aged 65 and older.
Although this change will benefit a lot of senior workers, it will also be the root cause of some inevitable consequential reactions in the increasingly inter-generational workforce.
Ang also predicted that the difference in backgrounds and mindsets, plus the rapid changes in technology in relation to skill sets across different generations, will be magnified. “Generational gaps in values and work ethics may lead younger employees to feel that older workers are not agile enough to meet changing demands, whilst mature workers may feel uncomfortable reporting under a younger authority,” he said.
“Moreover, stereotypes may exist such that older workers tend to be considered less capable of training and adapting to change. This can pose difficulties if the workplace culture is not welcoming of age diversity,” Ang added.
HKEX conducted IPO inquiries on 16 newly listed firms last year.
Two former directors of a GEM-listed food and beverage company were caught misappropriating listing proceeds for personal use. Although the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) identified the discrepancy, initial investigations couldn't prove the funds were diverted to their accounts. The Securities and Futures Commission's (SFC) involvement later confirmed the misappropriation.
The case underscores the critical need for regulatory cooperation in preventing financial misdeeds, particularly in light of IPO-related misconduct, suspicious financial arrangements, and ramp-and-dump scams affecting the city's financial markets.
True to their commitment to combat IPO-related misconduct, the HKEX conducted inquiries into 16 newly listed companies’ use of IPO proceeds over the past year, whilst the SFC sought disqualification and compensation orders from the Hong Kong Court against directors of a listed company for IPO-related breaches.
Increased cooperation between the two entities will help achieve regulatory objectives in a more “costeffective manner”, noted Stephanie Chan, partner at the Hong Kong office of law firm Sidley Austin.
“Compared to the HKEX, which usually invites listed companies to provide written submissions, the SFC has much wider statutory investigative powers, such as powers to compel subjects of investigation or other parties to produce documents, to execute search warrants to search premises and to obtain documents, and they can also require a person to attend an interview to give evidence. Through collaboration, the regulators can better allocate their investigative resources,” Chan told GovMedia
In a recent case, the HKEX identified some questionable
transactions involving a listed company during their routine monitoring of the company’s announcements. Recognising the potential issues, the HKEX referred the case to the SFC for further investigation.
“The SFC is better placed to obtain evidence that may not otherwise be available to the HKEX. In that case, the SFC shared the evidence with the HKEX to facilitate its investigation. This is a good example showing the benefits of strategic collaboration between the regulators,” Chan said.
IPO-related misconduct
Chan said most IPO-related misconduct cases involve the misuse of proceeds through dubious financial arrangements that lack commercial justification and can cause significant losses for listed companies.
and underwriting commissions.
They may also make disproportionately high upfront payments to consultants and promoters not aligned with their purported purposes.
“There are also other cases involving suspicious financial arrangements at the IPO stage to artificially satisfy the initial listing requirements and create a false market of the shares,” Chan said.
She further noted that ramp-anddump scams, another key area of focus for the HKEX and the SFC, may involve market manipulative activities conducted by sophisticated crossborder syndicates through taking steps to“ramp” up a listed company’s share price by spreading favourable news on social media to lure investors.
The
SFC is better placed to obtain evidence that may not otherwise be available to the HKEX
She said many listed companies involved in these cases do not properly disclose their change in use of IPO proceeds when it materially diverges from their initial business plans disclosed in the prospectus.
Newly listed companies may misuse IPO proceeds by paying unusually high, undisclosed expenses to parties related to directors or shareholders, disguised as listing expenses like IPO consultancy fees
“They will then “dump” the shares at a very high price and cause the share price to collapse and leave the investors with significant losses,” Chan said.
With the increased scrutiny over IPOrelated misconduct, Chan advised directors and senior managers of listed companies to “maintain good corporate governance and implement effective internal controls to ensure compliance with the regulatory requirements.”
About 70 rural banks have already undergone mergers since 2023.
China is in the process of cleaning up its embattled rural financial institutions — a move that will not just lead to the mergers and closures of its 3,800 rural financial institutions, but also see the number of major banks shrink.
In just one week in July, 40 banks disappeared in China. Of these, 36 were absorbed by Liaoning Rural Commercial Bank, whilst Jiangxi Bank collapsed according to reports by local media.
These disappearances were inevitable. In fact, China was behind the scheme, having already spearheaded the merger of 70 rural banks since 2023.
“There is an oversupply of rural financial institutions, leading to operational disorder and increased risks,” Betty Huang, economist at BBVA Research, told GovMedia “China’s small, rural banks are confronted with deep-seated issues such as aggressive lending practices,
inadequate risk management, and exposure to a downturn in the property market,” she added
These banks have also heavily lent to developers and local governments, leaving them vulnerable to fluctuations in the real estate sector and China’s slowing economic growth, Huang said.
Too many, too small
China’s issues boil down to two things: there’s too many of them, but the total assets are too small. Authorities cannot just close the troubled lenders, however, else they risk incurring the people’s wrath.
“Given their role in local economies, allowing these institutions to fail risks destabilising communities and causing social unrest,” Huang warned.
As of December 2023, mainland China has a total of 3,796 rural financial institutions, of which 1,607 are rural commercial banks.
This makes up 84% of all of China’s financial institutions.
In contrast, their total assets amounted to only RMB56.8t, at an average of RMB15b per institution — just 3% of the average asset value of city commercial banks.
This is because rural financial institutions serve small local communities and agriculture, which equate to limited asset scales. This leaves them vulnerable to the high risks of the local rural market, according to Huang.
“Notably, some institutions have reported non-performing loan ratios as high as 40%, significantly above the industry average of 1.6% as of the first quarter of 2024,” she said, adding that their provision coverage ratios also fall below the supervisory requirement of 150%.
China’s strategy has been to pursue consolidations alongside regulatory reform. This was seen in the consolidation of the Liaoning Rural Commercial Bank; and analysts believe that this trend will continue.
The clean-up process will take some time — up to 10 years, according to Ryan Tsang, primary credit analyst for S&P Global Ratings.
“The process could take up to a decade. We reckon that it would take four to five years to substantially clean up the high-risk rural financial institutions, and it would take another few years to reorganise these lenders and institutionalise changes in corporate governance, management structure and risk culture,” Tsang said.
He expects authorities to form new institutions in the likes of Liaoning Rural Commercial Bank. These will take over weak lenders or encourage the stronger ones to absorb weaker players.
Major banks are expected to play a role in this clean-up. Looking ahead, the list of major banks may shrink rather than expand, Huang said.
“Key trends include mergers and reorganisations, where larger banks absorb smaller, failed ones, and rural reform support — such as transforming village banks into bank branches — to centralise operations,” Huang added.
Properly structured, depositors may not incur losses despite bank closures, according to Huang.
The new requirement attempts to combat cyber offences like scams, bullying, and sexual crimes.
Malaysia’s new rule requiring social media services with over 8 million users to obtain a licence is poised to create significant compliance challenges for companies operating in the country.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) announced the regulation to strengthen its fight against cyber offences, including scams, cyberbullying, and sexual crimes. However, this move has sparked concerns about the implications for businesses, particularly regarding legal risks and data protection.
The new rule is also facing pushback from the Asia Internet Coalition (AIC), an industry association representing major tech companies such as Grab, Meta, Apple, Amazon, Google, Yahoo, Rakuten, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn.
In an open letter to the office of the prime minister, the AIC argued that the new licensing regime could stifle innovation and deter investments in Malaysia’s digital economy.
Siraj Jalil, President of the Malaysia Cyber Consumer
Association (MCCA), highlighted the increased obligations companies will face under this new rule.
“Any company must enhance their obligations for data protection, including the need for clear and transparent data handling practices,” Jalil said.
He emphasised that firms must ensure robust data handling processes, from the collection of consumer information to secure storage, to comply with the new regulations. “Failure to comply with this regulation could result in significant fines, legal action or even suspension of services within Malaysia,” he warned.
Dr. Husin Jazri, Associate Professor at Taylor’s University, noted that international companies might feel the brunt of these regulations more than local firms. “I think this will be affecting a lot more international companies that are operating in Malaysia, more than companies that are operating a local company,” Dr. Jazri said.
He pointed out that the global nature of social media content
and operations means that many international companies will need to navigate complex cross-border regulatory landscapes, adding an extra layer of difficulty to compliance efforts.
The new licensing rule also has broader implications for the enforcement of existing cybercrime laws in Malaysia. While Dr. Jazri believes that the new regulation will not fundamentally alter the enforcement framework, it could enhance the government’s ability to monitor and control digital content.
“Not much changes would happen in terms of the enforcement of cyber crimes law in Malaysia, because these laws can operate independently,” he explained. However, he acknowledged that the new licensing requirement might facilitate enforcement in specific contexts, particularly concerning content that breaches Malaysian laws.
The legal landscape in Malaysia is likely to become more complex as companies adjust to the new rule. Jalil indicated that there might be a surge in litigation as businesses and regulators grapple with the new requirements.
He also suggested that the new rule could increase collaboration between IT and legal sectors, with lawyers playing a crucial role in advising businesses on navigating these regulations and minimising legal risks. Moreover, the introduction of the licensing requirement could elevate the role of Malaysia’s cyber court, which has been relatively underutilised in the past. Jalil predicted that the cyber court would gain prominence as the new regulations come into force, making it a central venue for resolving disputes related to digital content and compliance.
Experts see great promise in the mission’s aim to improve citizens’ access to healthcare services.
WITH the Union Health Ministry allocating $1.09t (Rs 90,658.63 crore) in the interim Budget for 2024-2025, India has highlighted its focus on enhancing healthcare. In line with this is the launch of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) to further transform the sector.
KPMG reported that the ABDM’s initiative is to drive the development of a backbone to support the integrated digital health infrastructure in India.
“It will bridge the existing gap amongst different stakeholders of the healthcare ecosystem through digital highways and bring all stakeholders on to a more efficient system,” said Lalit Mistry, partner and co-head of the healthcare sector at KPMG India and one of the principal authors of the report.
Meanwhile, a report from Bain & Company mentioned that the Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY scheme may lead to an increase in the country’s healthcare expenditure per capita.
In 2023, India’s hospital market was valued at almost $99b and is projected to reach $193.6b at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8%.
“Through its plans for a United Health Interface (UHI), digital registries, and electronic health records (EHR), the Ayushman
Health UID issued as virtual health cards could act like an ATM card preloaded with healthcare benefits
Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM)
could provide an impetus to the digitisation of health,” said Parijat Ghosh, India managing partner at Bain & Company and one of the report’s lead authors.
Strengthening digitalisation
Amidst India’s efforts towards transforming its healthcare landscape, ABDM must learn how to support thousands of providers’ digitisation and integration efforts.
Such efforts span hospitals, laboratories, GP clinics, and more across private and public healthcare sectors. “The success of ABDM will depend on the ability to onboard a vast number of public and private health providers to adopt digital health solutions and standards to build a digital health ecosystem” Mistry said.
Moreover, he reiterated that a well-thought roadmap must be utilised in providing technical and financial incentivisation to small and larger providers.
“The capital and operational expenses could be factored in as a subsidy or indirect tax incentives for the providers leveraging the transformation journey” the KPMG expert added.
Health IUD innovation
Meanwhile, adopting health IDs can potentially transform public health
research and care provision in India. Currently, health UIDs serve as databases linked with personal health records, lacking features to incentivise citizens and providers to utilise them effectively, according to KPMG.
In Bain’s “Frontline of Healthcare” survey, digital health application usage in India grew between 20% to 100% due to the pandemic, with consumers expecting this to increase by 5% to 10% annually.
In addition, the report mentioned that 70% of 250 Indian respondents expected convenience and quality care to proactively manage their health. “Health UID issued as virtual health cards could act like an ATM card preloaded with healthcare benefits,” Mistry said.
Such healthcare benefits include entitlement to health schemes, medical emergency coverage, primary care benefits, pharmacy coupons, and health check-ups amongst others.
In line with digitalisation, a strong healthcare system requires setting investing as a priority to foster productivity, employment, foreign exchange earnings, and innovation.
“For the healthcare sector, innovative and blended finance has the potential to play an instrumental role in the way we solve society’s greatest health challenges,” Mistry said.
He also emphasised that a government-led systematic effort, along with private and other financing sources is crucial in creating and adopting innovative financing models.
Moreover, Ghosh highlighted other government initiatives that could spur the sector’s growth and advancement.
“Production-linked incentives (PLI), foreign direct investment (FDI), the creation of bulk drug parks, and the Policy on R&D and Innovation in Pharma-Medtech (PRIP) could further spur innovation and growth in India’s medtech and pharma services sectors,” Ghosh said.
Spotlighting outstanding government initiatives across the Asia Pacific region, the GovMedia Conference & Awards 2024 concluded with a conference and awards ceremony on Thursday, 13 June 2024, at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre in Singapore.
The conference session served as a catalyst for knowledge sharing, collaboration, and inspiration. Participants gained unparalleled insight through panel discussions on the trends and best practices that are transforming the public sector in the Asia Pacific.
The much-anticipated awards ceremony celebrated outstanding achievements in government projects across various categories. Honouring nominees from across the Asia Pacific, the ceremony recognised initiatives that exemplify leadership, creativity, and impactful results in public service.
Abu Dhabi Center for Sheltering and Humanitarian Care - Ewaa
United Arab Emirates Training Program of the Year - Social Services
Abu Dhabi Customs
United Arab Emirates Digital Initiative of the Year - Customs
United Arab Emirates Disaster Management of the Year - Customs
Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority
United Arab Emirates Public Sector Initiative of the Year - Health
United Arab Emirates Social Equity and Inclusion Initiative of the YearSocial Services
Activate Interactive Pte Ltd
Singapore Digital Initiative of the Year - Correctional Services
Singapore Outreach Project of the Year - Pension
Bayer and National Agricultural Extension Center (NAEC), Vietnam
Vietnam Public-Private Partnership of the Year - Agriculture
Charitable Association for Orphans Care in the Eastern Region (BENAA)
Saudi Arabia Public-Private Partnership of the Year - Human Services
City Government of Parañaque (Paranaque City Center for Children With Special Needs)
Philippines Social Equity and Inclusion Initiative of the Year - Health
Department of Science and Technology (DOST Regional Office No. IX and DOST-ITDI)
Philippines Governance Project of the Year - Science and Technology
Department of Science and Technology – Science and Technology Information Institute (DOST-STII)
Philippines Campaign of the Year - Science and Technology
This year’s entries to the awards programme were evaluated by an elite panel of experts, including leaders from Ernst & Young LLP, PwC Singapore, and KPMG.
“With the amount of authority and influence it has, the government sector is crucial in shaping the growth and direction of the country and region. Impactful government projects will not only affect the present but also change the future of generations down the road,” stressed Guillaume Sachet, KPMG Partner, and a judge at the awards programme.
Meanwhile, talking about his criteria for judging, EY Managing Partner Benjamin Chiang said, “The projects should improve the citizen experience via citizen-centric solutions, or enhance productivity and increase efficiency for government agencies. Ultimately, there must be transformative outcomes and high adoption rates from these efforts.”
Department of Tourism
Philippines Infrastructure Project of the Year - Tourism
Philippines Training Program of the Year - Tourism
Digital Economy Promotion Agency
Thailand Digital Transformation of the Year - Smart Government
Directorate General of Intellectual Property
Indonesia Digital Transformation of the Year - Intellectual Property & Trademarks
Indonesia E-Governance Project of the Year - Intellectual Property & Trademarks
Dubai Culture & Arts Authority
United Arab Emirates Campaign of the Year - Culture and the Arts
United Arab Emirates Digital Initiative of the Year - Culture and the Arts
Dubai Media Incorporated
United Arab Emirates Public Sector Initiative of the Year - Media
Etihad Rail
United Arab Emirates Infrastructure Project of the Year - Transportation
Expo City Dubai
United Arab Emirates Outreach Project of the Year - Climate Change
United Arab Emirates Outreach Project of the Year - Urban Development
Fluence and TECO for Taipower
Taiwan Outreach Project of the Year - Energy
foodpanda logistics Philippines / Delivery Hero Logistics Philippines, Inc.
Philippines Stakeholder Engagement of the Year - Transportation
General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs-Dubai
United Arab Emirates Campaign of the Year - Local Government
Globe Fintech Innovations, Inc. (GCash)
Philippines Digital Initiative of the Year - Finance
Green And Digital Transformation Deputy Nusantara Capital City
Indonesia Smart City Initiative of the Year - Infrastructure
`Hong Kong Police Force
China Outreach Project of the Year - Youth
Hong Kong Productivity Council
Hong Kong Process Optimization of the Year - Statutory Board
HRD CORP
Malaysia Digital Initiative of the Year - Training
Malaysia Digital Transformation of the Year - Training
Lenovo PCCW Solutions (LPS) and Correctional Services Department
Hong Kong Smart City Initiative of the Year - Correctional Services
Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of the Republic of Indonesia
Indonesia Sustainability Initiative of the Year - Energy
Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia
Indonesia Campaign of the Year - Finance
Indonesia Crisis Management of the Year - Finance
National Economic and Development Authority
Philippines E-Governance Project of the Year - Info-Comms
National Science Museum, Thailand
Thailand Digital Transformation of the Year - Science and Technology
NESTLÉ PHILIPPINES, INC.
Philippines Stakeholder Engagement of the Year - Agriculture
Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong
Hong Kong Campaign of the Year - Regulatory
Pag-IBIG Fund (Home Development Mutual Fund)
Philippines Public Sector Initiative of the Year - Housing
Philippine Council for Health Research and Development
Philippines Campaign of the Year - Smart Government
PT Lemonilo Indonesia Sehat
Indonesia Campaign of the Year - Food & Beverage
PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Persero)
Indonesia Digital Transformation of the Year - Maritime & Ports
PT Pelita Air Service
Indonesia Sustainability Initiative of the Year - Aviation
PT Transportasi Jakarta
Indonesia Campaign of the Year - Transportation
Indonesia Sustainability Initiative of the Year - Transportation
Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB)
Pakistan E-Governance Project of the Year - Smart Government
Reckitt
Philippines Campaign of the Year - Health
Roche (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd
Malaysia Public-Private Partnership of the Year - Health
Securities and Exchange Commission Philippines
Philippines Campaign of the Year - Regulatory
Philippines E-Governance Project of the Year - Regulatory
Philippines Sustainability Initiative of the Year - Regulatory
Signify
Vietnam Sustainability Initiative of the Year - Youth
Sport Singapore
Singapore Public Sector Initiative of the Year - Sports
Tadweer Group
United Arab Emirates Sustainability Initiative of the Year - Environment
Temasek Polytechnic
Singapore Digital Initiative of the Year - Education
The General Administration of Abu Dhabi Customs
United Arab Emirates Campaign of the Year - Customs
The National Committee for the Welfare of Prisoners, Released Prisoners and Their Families (trahum)
Saudi Arabia Digital Initiative of the Year - Human Services
Tourism Promotions Board Philippines
Philippines Public Sector Initiative of the Year - Tourism
The company wins big with two awards at GovMedia Conference & Awards 2024.
Imagine a bustling city where daily life harmonises with the silent hum of advanced technology. This is Singapore, a city at the forefront of the Smart Nation initiative, striving to integrate cuttingedge technology into urban life. Activate Interactive Pte Ltd (“Activate Interactive”) is pivotal in driving this digital transformation across public and private sectors.
Headquartered in Singapore, Activate Interactive’s journey began with a simple yet profound belief: technology should serve a purpose greater than itself. Since its inception, the company has been committed to creating solutions that make a tangible difference in people’s lives and the environment. Their mission is clear: to imagine and reimagine what is possible, delivering cost-effective and quality solutions and services to customers with the purpose of positively impacting the people around us and the environment we live in.
At Activate Interactive, they envision a world where technology is not just a tool but a companion in enhancing lives. Their journey began with the belief that technology, when used with purpose, has the power to create a better and healthier world. This belief fuels the company’s passion for developing accessible digital solutions that promote preventive health, fitness, and wellness.
Why does Activate Interactive create? The answer is straightforward: they harness technology to help clients thrive. In doing so, they bring bold ideas to life, creating meaningful values for people and the environment. The future may be uncertain, but Activate Interactive’s commitment remains steadfast—to drive digital transformations that pave the way for a promising future.
“We strive to harness technology with purpose and create solutions that make a real difference in people’s lives and our environment. Winning the GovMedia Conference & Awards 2024 is a testament to our team’s hard work and our unwavering commitment to driving digital transformation. We are proud of what we have achieved and excited for what the future holds,” said Joel Chin, CEO of Activate Interactive.
A constant at Activate Interactive is its unwavering commitment to quality and innovation. As an award-winning company, they maintain a robust quality management system, ensuring that every solution meets and exceeds clients’ expectations. Their high-performance team is the cornerstone of the company’s success. Passionate about their craft, the team continually pushes boundaries, ensuring they deliver solutions that exceed their clients’ expectations.
Activate Interactive’s success lies in its unique approach, encapsulated in the Activate Playbook. This strategic framework allows for well-orchestrated solutions, clear communication flows, and the empowerment of individual teams to innovate confidently. Their end-to-end services are designed to help customers achieve more with less effort, whether enhancing their brand, boosting sales, or elevating productivity.
Activate Interactive is trusted by government agencies and specialises in digital transformation strategies tailored to today’s dynamic landscape. Their comprehensive solutions are not just about keeping up with change but paving the way for a more promising future for all. Their involvement in government
projects has provided the team with invaluable experiences that are shared locally and globally, promoting digital transformation .
The company’s dedication and innovative approach were recognised at the GovMedia Conference & Awards 2024, where it proudly landed two significant wins. The Self-Help and Rehabilitation E-application (SHARE) project won Singapore Digital Initiative of the YearCorrectional Services Services whilst the CPF Mobile project won the Singapore Outreach Project of the Year - Pension. These accolades underscore their commitment to excellence and its role in shaping the digital landscape.
Activate Interactive is more than a service provider; it is a growth partner. Their comprehensive, end-to-end services are tailored to customers’ success. From enhancing branding to boosting sales, facilitating seamless processes, and elevating productivity, the company helps them achieve more with less effort. Trusted by government agencies and renowned for their expertise in digital transformation, they offer strategies perfectly aligned with today’s dynamic landscape.
Join Activate Interactive on this journey where technology meets purpose. Together, create a better tomorrow.
We strive to harness technology with purpose and create solutions that make a real difference in people’s lives and our environment
At Activate Interactive, we harness technology to positively impact the people and environment around us. As a trusted partner of government agencies, we advance Singapore’s Smart Nation initiatives and support global digital transformation. Committed to preventive health, fitness, and wellness, we develop accessible digital solutions.
Our high-performance team and robust quality management consistently exceed expectations, bringing bold ideas to life and ensuring a promising future.
We craft strategic roadmaps for seamless success, blending industry standards and best practices to elevate business agility and growth.
As leaders in mobile app and web development, we excel in both waterfall and agile methodologies, focusing on functionality and user engagement.
Guided by Design Thinking, our in-house UI/UX team bridges function and form, delivering human-centric user interfaces for digital transformation.
As an advanced tier AWS partner, we leverage proven customer experience to expand your market reach and reduce ownership costs efficiently.
We provide cost-effective, scalable, and flexible solutions tailored to the tech industry, ensuring top talents for digital transformation success.
Signify is on a mission to bring sustainable lighting solutions to underserved regions in Southeast Asia.
Signify, formerly known as Philips Lighting, has embarked on a mission across the SEA region to illuminate lives and foster sustainable development. Through innovative Philips solar-powered solutions and #BrighterLivesBetterWorld initiatives, Signify is lighting up brighter futures, one village at a time.
Many remote areas around the world face challenges that most cannot imagine: living without reliable sources of light. Understanding this critical need, Signify, has dedicated itself to bringing sustainable lighting solutions to these underserved regions. Through numerous corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaigns, Signify has been on a mission to light up the lives of those who need it the most. With a steadfast commitment to its goals and consistent actions, Signify was recognised with the Vietnam Sustainability Initiative of the Year - Youth Award at the GovMedia Conference & Awards 2024. The accolade recognises the impactful “Empowering A Luoi: Solar Illumination Initiative,” a collaborative effort with students from Hue University. The project focussed on illuminating village roads and community meeting houses with solar-powered LED lights in A Luoi. Additionally, the initiative included upgrading the lighting system at the Huong Nguyen preschool, enhancing the learning environment for young children. This has positively impacted over 1,000 residents and 300 households across four villages and community centres. By leveraging solar-powered LED technology, Signify has addressed inadequate lighting in A Luoi, where the challenging terrain and limited light have historically constrained nighttime activities. The improved lighting conditions at the kindergarten provided
children with a conducive learning environment and reduced the risk of visionrelated health issues. Local residents have expressed overwhelming enthusiasm for the new lighting, noting a marked improvement in their quality of life, especially during the prolonged rainy season when travel between villages previously posed significant risks.
A key element of the initiative was the active involvement of union members and students in the project’s implementation. This hands-on approach included training on lighting installation techniques and the use of specialised solar-powered lighting products. Students from Hue University played a pivotal role, gaining valuable skills and practical experience that will enhance their future contributions to the field.
Jitender Khurana, System and Service Leader, ASEAN & Pacific at Signify, shared: “Governments and organisations need to closely collaborate through public-private partnerships, sharing responsibilities and resources to achieve sustainable development goals. This cooperation not only helps optimise resources but also creates more effective and sustainable solutions.”
He also emphasised: “Providing education and training to minority communities on sustainable technologies and methods is extremely important. This not only raises awareness but also equips them with the necessary skills to actively and effectively participate in sustainable development projects.” Signify’s initiative underscores the transformative power of sustainable lighting solutions in enhancing livelihoods and fostering socio-economic development. By providing quality, safe, and sustainable lighting, the project aligns with Signify’s commitment to creating brighter lives and a better world.
Aiming to improve people’s lives with meaningful innovations, Signify has for many
years implemented CSR projects to bring solar lighting systems to remote and mountainous areas with limited access to power grids. In Vietnam, Signify partnered with UNESCO in 2020, providing advanced lighting equipment to over 5,000 students. In Malaysia, Signify has illuminated the Orang Asli village in Sg. Jentong, Trolak with solar lighting solutions. In Thailand, Signify has donated LED bulbs and floodlights to help flood victims and people in rural areas via a charity project by the Ministry of Industry. In Indonesia, Signify Indonesia’s signature Kampung Terang Hemat Energi programme brings access to light for over 130,000 people in rural areas by donating solar street lighting and solar home lighting.
Signify’s commitment to lighting up Vietnam continued with impactful initiatives in 2024. The “Illuminating Compassion” programme was implemented in Gia Lai province and Lam Ha district, bringing light to kindergartens and disadvantaged households in these localities including installing lights and giving gifts to 500 children at seven kindergartens and 400 households.
As the recipient of the Vietnam Sustainability Initiative of the Year - Youth, Signify continues to lead by example, demonstrating how technology and community collaboration can pave the way for a more sustainable and equitable future. The recognition celebrates the success of the A Luoi project but and reinforces Signify’s role as a catalyst for positive change in Vietnam’s rural communities.
Governments and organisations need to closely collaborate through public-private partnerships, sharing responsibilities and resources to achieve sustainable development goals
It has maximised various technologies and solutions to streamline its disaster recovery and smart inspection systems.
Abu Dhabi Customs garnered two titles at the GovMedia Conference & Awards 2024 for its Smart Inspection System that digitises and automates inspection processes, as well as its IT Disaster Management that relies on cutting-edge monitoring and alerting systems.
The Smart Inspection System utilises the latest technologies to provide onsite streaming and recording options for the
inspection activity without the need for onsite agents. The platform sends a notification to the customer stating that the shipment will be inspected, and once the customer approves the request, the job automatically starts and the inspector starts the job. Through the live streaming link, the customer can attend the inspection live, and the recording can also be saved for later use upon need.
Abu Dhabi Customs won the United Arab Emirates Digital Initiative of the YearCustoms category for this initiative.
The IT Disaster Management integrates automated solutions for zero-touch transitions between the primary data centres and the disaster recovery data centre. This ensures a rapid and efficient switchover in the event of a disaster and that every team member is well-versed in their roles as well as
Our innovative approach encompasses advanced monitoring systems, automated solutions for seamless transitions
actively involved in disaster preparedness.
Through regular training, simulation exercises, and clear communication channels, the entity has cultivated a culture of readiness, where each team member knows precisely what to do in the event of a disaster.
“Our innovative approach encompasses advanced monitoring systems, automated solutions for seamless transitions, a commitment to zero data loss, and a teambased strategy,” the company said.
The agency clinched the United Arab Emirates Disaster Management of the YearCustoms category win for this system.
TPB’s PHITEX wins GovMedia Award for the second consecutive year
The Philippine tourism industry is embracing the digital age while preserving its rich heritage, as evidenced by the resounding success of the Philippine Travel Exchange (PHITEX) 2023. This flagship program of the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines bagged the Philippines’ Public Sector Initiative of the Year - Tourism award at the 2024 GovMedia Conference & Awards in Singapore.
This recognition adds to PHITEX’s impressive track record. Last year, the program received the National Tourism Initiative of the Year Award at the GovMedia Awards 2023, underscoring its consistent excellence in driving sustainable growth and development in the Philippine tourism industry.
“We are honoured to receive this recognition from GovMedia,” said TPB Chief Operating Officer Maria Margarita Montemayor Nograles. “Awards like this fuel our passion to craft purposeful and meaningful travel into our 7,641 islands. Under the leadership of Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, we will continue to harness technology and prioritize sustainability to elevate our tourism promotion efforts and showcase the best of the Philippines and our people to the world.”
PHITEX is the Philippines’ biggest governmentorganized travel trade event that facilitates meetings between qualified international buyers and local sellers through tabletop business appointments. In 2023, PHITEX returned to Cebu after 16 years, marking the first fully on-site event since the pandemic, achieving significant feats.
PHITEX 2023 set a record-high PHP 341.5 million in negotiated sales leads over two days of travel
exchange sessions. These productive business-tobusiness meetings showcased the Philippines’ finest tourism attractions, establishments, services, and products to a global audience, bringing together 88 buyers from 19 countries worldwide and 164 seller delegates from 119 Philippine companies.
Apart from business sessions, PHITEX served as an innovative knowledge-sharing platform through its PHITEX Educational Program (PEP) Talk, featuring insightful discussions on the theme, “Tourism Sustainability in the Era of the Internet of Things.” Local stakeholders and academic members engaged in meaningful dialogues, learning from a distinguished roster of speakers who shared their knowledge on the latest advancements in IoT, data privacy, circular economies, gender equality, empowerment, and inclusivity.
Meanwhile, the pre and post-tours program of PHITEX showcased TPB’s dedication to weaving sustainability into the fabric of meaningful travel experiences. The pre-tour highlighted Cebu’s rich culture and heritage through city and countryside tours. While the posttour introduced buyers to grassroots initiatives, local textiles, culinary treasures, and other eco-tourism activities in destinations such as Manila-Rizal, Cagayan de Oro-Bukidnon-Davao, Coron, Palawan, Boracay-Romblon, Cebu-Dumaguete, Pampanga-La Union, and Ilocos Norte and Sur.
Looking ahead, TPB is gearing up for the upcoming PHITEX 2024 in Metro Manila this September. To know more about PHITEX and how to participate, visit https://www.phitex.ph/
A more convenient and simplified support services paved the way for businesses to faster funding application process.
Having regard to the suggestions from small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and to benefit more SMEs, the Easy BUD was launched. It is a simplified application track with a streamlined process under the Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Sales (the BUD Fund), enabling SMEs to obtain government funding more swiftly and conveniently, which facilitates their business expansion.
Since 2012, the BUD Fund, launched by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, aims to assist Hong Kong enterprises in exploring and developing business opportunities in the Mainland market. “The BUD Fund” subsequently extended the geographical coverage of the funding support to include other economies with which Hong Kong has signed Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and/or Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements (IPPAs). As the implementer of the BUD Fund, Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) is committed to providing different stakeholders with all-round professional secretarial services and this has been well received by enterprises.
To expedite the processing of the BUD Fund applications and encourage more enterprises to make use of the funding to develop their businesses, the government launched Easy BUD in June 2023. The target processing time of Easy BUD applications has been significantly halved to within 30 working days as compared to 60 working days for other general BUD applications.
With a shortened processing time, enterprises can plan and execute their business development plan with more flexibility
Enterprises can make use of Easy BUD to apply for funding for specific uses, including placement of advertisements, participation in exhibitions, design and production of promotional materials, development or enhancement of mobile applications and company websites, testing and certification, as well as application for the registration of
patents or trademarks.
Funding under Easy BUD will continue to be provided to grantees after the completion of projects on a matching basis, and the funding ceiling for each project is HK$100,000. All Easy BUD projects must be completed within 12 months. Each enterprise can also submit one Easy BUD application every six months.
Ms Vivian LIN, Chief Operating Officer of HKPC, said, “The Government Funding Schemes Management Centre of HKPC is committed to serving Hong Kong SMEs and various organisations, striving for excellence in executive arm and secretariat work.
HKPC is tasked by the HKSAR Government with running ‘the BUD Fund’ since its inception. The launch of ‘Easy BUD’ responds to the needs of the industry, further bolstering support for Hong Kong enterprises to expand into the Mainland and overseas markets. HKPC hopes to continue to exert the professional customer service spirit of the Government Funding Schemes Management Centre to carry positive influence on society and benefit more SMEs.”
The trade and the market have responded positively to the enhancements. Over 1,000 Easy BUD applications are received within just 11 months, which reflects the high demand and keen interest from local enterprises in accessing these expedited and simplified business support services.
Easy BUD has facilitated the growth and development of local enterprises by expediting their access to government funding programmes. Hong Kong enterprises, especially SMEs, can leverage this convenient and simplified application process for funding applications to explore and develop their business opportunities in the Mainland and overseas markets. With a shortened processing time, enterprises can plan and execute their business development plans with more flexibility.
RITIN MATHUR Partner, Consulting
Ernst & Young Advisory Pte. Ltd
MARIE-CLAUDE FERLAND
Associate Partner, Consulting, AI Strategy
Ernst & Young Advisory Pte. Ltd
GenAI is a powerful tool for organisations. It is not only a technological innovation but also a socioeconomic one that impacts organisations and citizens. But like any new technology, the adoption of GenAI comes with opportunities and risks. How can governments take the lead to embed GenAI into their workforce and transform the business ecosystem by leveraging this technology?
Invest in innovation
R&D is essential to advancing the theoretical and practical foundations of GenAI. However, R&D activities are often costly, risky and uncertain, requiring a long-term vision, collaboration and experimentation. This is even more so now with GenAI models — also known as foundation models — which require a significant investment in computing power. A crucial part of building the models, model training can only be done with graphics processing units (GPUs), which are specialised chips that perform numerous parallel calculations. We are seeing the emergence of private AI labs that often have access to GPUs that are now in high demand and very costly. Some government initiatives, such as the National Supercomputing Centre in Singapore, have started to invest in this area.
The government plays a crucial role in mobilising and allocating public and private resources for GenAI as it can influence the direction, pace and impact of innovation. It can provide funding, incentives and guidance for R&D, either directly through public institutions and programs or indirectly through grants and partnerships with private actors. Investing in GenAI infrastructure and regulating it can make the technology available, reliable and affordable for different stakeholders. The government can also foster and oversee the data ecosystem for GenAI, promoting its creation, sharing and use, while respecting stakeholders’ ownership, privacy and ethics.
Mitigate risks
As governments embrace the opportunities and benefits afforded by GenAI, they should also be aware of some potential ethical, social and legal challenges. For instance, how can they be confident of the integrity and reliability of GenAI systems that can generate novel and unexpected outputs? How can they avoid or mitigate the bias that may arise from models trained on biased data? How can they protect the privacy and security of individuals and organisations interacting with GenAI systems or impacted by them? Also, how can governments foster trust and accountability of developers and users of GenAI systems?
To help address these issues, governments can establish guidelines and frameworks that foster responsible development and deployment of AI, such as Singapore’s Model AI Governance Framework by the Infocomm
Media Development Authority. In addition, the AI Verify Foundation has brought together many players — including Big Tech companies, startups and system implementers — to help define mitigation approaches to new GenAI risks.
Another example is KORIKA, an Indonesian government organisation focused on AI research and innovation, which announced a partnership with OpenAI to develop AI models aligned with Indonesian cultural and societal values.
These initiatives provide the principles, best practices and assessment tools for organisations to implement trustworthy AI solutions that are human-centric, transparent, responsible and aligned to market needs. By adopting guidelines for such initiatives, organisations can demonstrate their commitment to ethical AI, build reputation and trust among customers and other stakeholders as well as comply with relevant regulations and standards. Moreover, guidelines can help them avoid potential AI risks, such as bias, discrimination, manipulation or misuse that could undermine organisational objectives and values.
These guidelines can also enable organisations to innovate and experiment with AI safely and responsibly whilst learning from feedback and improvement opportunities. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has drafted a guide for AI ethics and governance, which is expected to be finalised at the end of January 2024.
What governments can do next
Beyond anticipating and preparing the GenAI ecosystem for organisations that operate within their borders, governments need to consider the potential of GenAI to enhance public service delivery and policymaking. Using GenAI to solve complex problems can lead to the creation of new and better solutions as well as generate value and insights for the public.
Governments with firsthand experience in developing and using GenAI can better support citizens and organisations operating in their jurisdictions. For example, Singapore released a writing assistant prototype for civil servants and is expanding the use of GenAI in citizen support chatbots. Other governments in Southeast Asia are considering the establishment of sandboxes to test GenAI use cases for ministries and agencies.
GenAI is an emerging and evolving phenomenon that will have significant implications for the public sector and society. Its initiatives will help develop an ecosystem that includes stakeholders such as academia, startups, accelerators and investors. Government initiatives can also drive greater availability of talent and other resources, allowing businesses to better leverage GenAI to transform the organisation.
