OGOS 2026
PREMIER URGES YOUNG SARAWAKIANS TO MASTER TECHNOLOGY
KUCHING, 23 August 2026 — Sarawak is intensifying efforts to equip its younger generation with artificial intelligence (AI), digital technology and scientific knowledge as part of its broader strategy to accelerate economic transformation and strengthen the State’s competitiveness.
Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg, said the ability of young Sarawakians to understand and apply emerging technologies would be instrumental in determining the State’s future economic direction.
Speaking at the Opening Ceremony of Borneo Maker Festival (AI For Makers) 2026, the Premier congratulated TEGAS for providing practical exposure and opportunities for young people to develop their technological capabilities.
He said such initiatives were important in ensuring that Sarawak’s youths were not merely consumers of technology but would eventually become creators, innovators and problem-solvers.
“If we want to become a developed nation, we have to grow our young, get them to be near to technology, and we can grow faster.” he added.
The Premier said, Sarawak could draw valuable lessons from countries such as Singapore and Japan, which had successfully built strong and resilient economies by placing human capital, knowledge and technological advancement at the centre of their development despite having limited natural resources.
He stressed that Sarawak, with its wealth of natural resources, must similarly focus on developing the capabilities of its people so that these resources could be transformed into higher-value products, industries and economic opportunities through science, research and technology.
On AI, the Premier said the technology should not be regarded simply as a sophisticated digital tool, but as a means of augmenting human intelligence by enabling people to process information, explore possibilities and develop solutions more efficiently.
However, he emphasised that technology must continue to be guided by human knowledge, judgement and creativity, as AI could only be as effective as the people who understood how to use it responsibly and purposefully.
For Sarawak’s younger generation, technology should therefore not be viewed as a distant or specialised field reserved for experts, but as an increasingly important part of everyday learning, innovation, entrepreneurship and problem-solving.
He further expressed confidence that by bringing young Sarawakians closer to technology from an early stage, Sarawak would be better positioned to cultivate a skilled and innovative workforce capable of driving the State’s next phase of economic transformation.