PUTRAJAYA, MALAYSIA March 6, 2026 – In a significant boost for Malaysia’s digital transformation efforts, the Ministry of Digital has achieved notable international recognition at the Festival of Innovation 2026, hosted by GovInsider in Singapore. The event, held on March 3-4 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, featured fierce competition with 270 submissions from 120 government agencies worldwide. This accolade underscores Malaysia’s commitment to fostering a responsible AI ecosystem and advancing public sector technology.
The Jabatan Digital Negara (JDN) and the National Artificial Intelligence Office (NAIO) under the Ministry were honored in several key categories, highlighting their innovative contributions to government services.
Key achievements include:
– Inter-Agency Award Winner.: JDN’s MyGovCloud@PDSA initiative, which streamlines cloud infrastructure coordination across government agencies for enhanced efficiency and impact.
– Special Mention in AI-Ready Award : Jointly awarded to NAIO and JDN for the AI@Works program, demonstrating Malaysia’s public sector readiness to adopt ethical AI technologies.
– Special Mention in Digital Government Award : Granted to JDN for the Malaysia Government Central Data Exchange (MyGDX) platform, which empowers integrated national data sharing.
Additionally, NAIO was named a finalist in the Transformative Agency of the Year category, positioning it among the world’s top innovative agencies.
These successes align with Malaysia’s “Towards an AI Nation 2030” vision, spearheaded by the Ministry of Digital. Through NAIO, emphasis is placed on digital governance for safe and ethical technology use, capacity building to equip public servants and industries with future skills, and economic growth via data and AI innovations.
The Festival of Innovation serves as a global platform for government leaders and tech experts to share best practices. Malaysia’s active participation not only showcases its role as a technology adopter but also as a leader in citizen-centric innovations.
The Ministry extended congratulations to the JDN and NAIO teams, stating that these recognitions will drive further advancements in efficient, transparent, and integrated digital services for national prosperity.
Other notable winners at the event included Singapore’s Home Team Science & Technology Agency (HTX) as Digital Agency of the Year and Philippine representatives in individual categories, reflecting the region’s growing focus on people-centric digital leadership.
About The Author
