WITSA Launches Global Trade Portal

The World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) today launched a Global Trade Portal to promote and facilitate greater cross-border trade and investment in information and communications technology (ICT).

Simultaneously, WITSA also unveiled a new logo and website at the opening of its two-day Global Public Policy Summit, GPPS 2009, held here.

Announcing the launch, WITSA Chairman Dato' Dan E. Khoo said the portal forms the platform for the introduction of three new initiatives - the WITSA Business Matching System, WITSA Trade Missions and WITSA Business Centers.

"The initiatives are designed to encourage global trade in ICT products and services as well as to attract investments to knowledge economies. Through these programs, we are better placed to lead the ICT industry in facing the many challenges of the 21st Century," said Khoo.

The new logo and website are intended to highlight the organization's growing prominence and relevance as the leading global voice to guide the development of ICT for the benefit of social economic progress.

WITSA is a consortium of national ICT associations from 72 economies, with members representing more than 90 percent of a global market that is projected to exceed USD4.4 trillion in total spending by 2011.

The Business Matching or B2B System provides a virtual platform to bring together buyers and sellers of ICT products and services.

As an extension to the B2B system, the Trade Missions serve to match-make buyers and aggregators through face-to-face meetings in various destinations. The first of these was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia earlier this year.

Complementing and supplementing the first two initiatives is the establishment of business centers at various locations as soft landing zones for WITSA's members, global partners and affiliates to pursue business opportunities in these economies.

To date, there are nine such centers in eight economies - Malaysia, the United States of America, Argentina, Lebanon, Macedonia, Nigeria, South Africa and Chinese Taipei.

"As a representative of a dynamic and innovative industry, it is only natural that WITSA consistently undergoes transformation so as to offer better value to the communities it serves," added Khoo.

He also noted that WITSA recently launched a new initiative to gain universal acceptance of ICT as the primary engine for sustainable economic growth at the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh last September.

Earlier, WITSA had earned a seat on the Strategy Council of the UN Global Alliance for ICT and Development.

About WITSA

Founded in 1978, the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) is a leading consortium of ICT industry association members from nearly 70 economies around the world. WITSA's members represent more than 90 percent of the world ICT market.

As the leading recognized voice of the global ICT Industry, WITSA aims to drive transformation and grow the industry. WITSA believes ICT is the key driving force to enable governments, businesses and societies for global development and economic growth.

WITSA is dedicated to the following:

- Advocating international public policies that advances the industry's growth and development;

- Facilitating international trade and investment of ICT products and services through our global network of contacts;

- Promoting industry cooperation and strengthen our national associations through the sharing of knowledge, experience, and critical information;

- Publishing global ICT research through WITSA Digital Planet;

- Awarding signature events, World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) and Global Public Policy Summit (GPPS) to different host countries around the world; and

- Organizing and hosting the Global ICT Excellence Awards to recognize the most outstanding ICT users.

For more information on WITSA, please visit www.witsa.org.

Source: WITSA

Contact:

WITSA
Gary Chiew
gary@witsa.org
Tel: +603-8320 1898

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