First phase of SmartCity launched: 'The foundation stone of a future Malta'- Gonzi

The first phase of the development of SmartCity project was formally launched this evening at Ricasoli, with Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi saying it confirmed that the implementation of the project was moving according to its own ambitious time-frames.

“Your energy has been met by our enthusiasm. All stakeholders in Malta have quickly appreciated the importance of this project. We have all pulled on the same rope because of our shared belief and commitment to SmartCity Malta.”

Dr Gonzi said ICT was one of those sectors Malta wanted to excel in, and it was itself a fundamental enabler of all the other areas in which we aim to excel.

“What is being inaugurated today is not only the metaphorical foundation stone of SmartCity, but also the literal foundation stone of a future Malta.”

“The social benefits of SmartCity are quantified in the thousands of jobs it will create, in the contribution it will be making to the quality of life to the people who live here, in the multi-cultural and multi-national cross-fertilisation that this vibrant cosmopolitan city will be bringing about.”

Dr Gonzi said the building of SmartCity was also an important key in the regeneration of the Grand Harbour area and of the communities living around it.

IT Minister Austin Gatt observed that the same globalisation that cost Malta jobs in traditional manufacturing had opened the world for Malta.

“We are building a city of jobs working in the economy of the future. We have attracted Middle Eastern investors who are using Malta to host a global profile of tenants. From here they will be doing business freely and openly in the European market. All of this is happening on a site that a year ago was occupied by an estate of declining, polluting and inward looking factories.

“We have come a long way but we have a long way to go. We have changed our economic policies to integrate them with Europe. We have changed our currency. We have invested in our infrastructure. We have attracted foreign investment. All these efforts required commitment and hard work. But the biggest project of all is preparing our human resources to the changes that we are experiencing,” Dr Gatt said.

“Malta and its new global clients rely on our educational institutions to complete the success in our effort to truly become an ICT centre of excellence. I call upon all leaders in the educational and business communities here to renew the national effort to prepare well as many of our young people as possible for the opportunity being built in Ricasoli.”

Dr Gatt said he was confident Maltese businesses and Maltese people would overcome the occasionally persisting psychological barriers that limit some from thinking and acting on a global scale.

“Our ultimate objective is to see more locally born and bred success stories in this industry. The SmartCity experience cannot merely be the brighter side of globalisation. Our country has the right to expect that the SmartCity experience signifies the globalisation of Malta’s economy; the globalisation of the ideas born here in Malta, enriched by the multi-national and multi-cultural community on the SmartCity campus and sold over the platform of the network of clients connected with us at the Ricasoli node.”

The event was attended by over 500 guests, including ministers, members of Parliament, ambassadors, government officials and local and international ICT and media industry drivers. Among these were Ahmad Bin Byat (executive chairman of TECOM Investment and chairman of SmartCity), and Fareed Abdulrahman, CEO of SmartCity and acting CEO of SmartCity Malta and SmartCity Kochi.