[Bangkok, Thailand, March 18, 2021] — Presided by H.E. Mr Supattanapong Punmeechaow, Deputy Prime Minister for Economy and Minister of Energy, in the presence of Mr. Yang Xin, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of China in Thailand, the MoU signing ceremony for the ICT Talent Ecosystem Development in the 5G era was held at the Siam Kempinski Hotel in Bangkok, between Dr. Kanit Sangsubhan, Secretary General of EECO and Mr. Abel Deng, CEO of Huawei Technologies (Thailand).

“I am grateful for the EEC to cooperate with Huawei to contribute significantly to Thailand's digital economy. In addition to the MOU signing, I would also like to congratulate on the opening of the Huawei ASEAN Academy (Thailand) EEC branch in Chonburi. The 4 cooperation frameworks comprise of  Creating knowledge base, experts and platforms; Building an ecosystem that facilitates digital development; Organizing trainings to improve digital and 5G capacities; Building a certification program to create a standard for the target industries. This will significantly enable Thailand to move forward to the Thailand 4.0” said Mr. Supattanapong Punmeechaow, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy.

Mr. Yang Xin, Chargé d’Affaires of the Chinese Embassy, said: “Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the global economic downturn, we are very pleased to see that high-tech-led cooperation in digital economy and innovation is increasingly becoming an important new highlight of China-Thailand cooperation. In this process, Huawei has been deeply involved in Thailand for many years. It has made every effort to promote Thailand to become the first country in Southeast Asia to have commercial 5G services. Today, the Huawei ASEAN Academy (Thailand) EEC branch is officially established. We believe it will help cultivate more talented personnel in communication technology management and professional techniques in Thailand, help Thailand become a data center in Southeast Asia, and create a new model of China-Thailand digital economy cooperation.”

In collaboration with Huawei, EEC aims to organize digital development courses for students and IT-related workers to train 6,000 people within 2021 and 30,000 in 2024 people. 

Dr. Kanit Sangsubhan, Secretary General of EECO, commented: “Today marks another key milestone in our efforts. The collaboration between EEC and Huawei through the Huawei ASEAN Academy (Thailand) EEC branch is going to combine forces which I believe would lead the digital transformation in all industries not only in Thailand but also in ASEAN to another level.”

Mr. Abel Deng, CEO of Huawei Thailand, concluded: “I’d like to express my excitement and gratitude for the collaboration with EECO. As Huawei believes that the key to drive digital development lies in an upskilled talent foundation, we will proactively enable Thailand to become the ASEAN digital hub through this MoU and the Huawei ASEAN Academy (Thailand) EEC Branch. Together with the EECO, Burapha University, all our stakeholders and friends in the EEC, we are committed to fulfilling our mission of ‘Grow in Thailand, Contribute to Thailand’ by being a technology-leading and trusted ICT partner, proactive digital transformation enabler, and continuous social value contributor, bringing digital to every person, home and organization, for a fully connected, intelligent Thailand!”  

This MoU marks an important milestone for digital talent development in the EEC to support the use of 5G technology. Through the cooperation between two parties, Huawei ASEAN Academy (Thailand) EEC branch is launched today in Thailand. Huawei ASEAN Academy (Thailand) EEC branch confirms that Thailand places great importance on creating ICT development demand-driven courses that can serve the industry in the region. This is in line with the plan to embrace Industry 4.0 to support 5G skills development in the EEC.  In 2020, Huawei has helped organize digital trainings for the government, enterprises, SMEs and startups for over 16,000 people. This alliance with the world’s leading technology company will elevate Thailand’s digital workforce scene to support future investment in hi-tech industries. This will drive Thailand to become the region’s digital hub, increasing the country’s competitiveness and building sustainable economy and society.