AI in Business conference – first event of its kind held in Gozo

by Gozo News · November 6, 2019

The AI in Business conference – the first event of its kind to be held in Gozo – has been attended by Minister for the Economy, Investment and Small Businesses and the Minister for Gozo.

Minister Cardona, during his address, stated that AI represents an opportunity for countries of all sizes and explained how crucial it is for policy makers to make this digital revolution a central policy goal.

“As a Government, we are being pro-active in our efforts to ensure that our industry is prepared to take on the next economic phase. We are working to enact policies that support and enable businesses to take on this digital transformation,” he said.

In this regard, Minister Cardona announced that in 2018 Malta Enterprise allocated €25 million to the scheme MicroInvest in order to encourage businesses to innovate and over 2,300 businesses benefited from this scheme and have managed to innovate their operations.

“The holding of the AI conference in Gozo is a milestone within its own right as it is being held simultaneously with the opening of the Gozo Research and Innovation Hub,” said Minister for Gozo Justyne Caruana.

Dr Caruana stated that digital connectivity will be further strengthened by the installation of the second fibre optic cable between Malta and Gozo, a project that will materialise in the coming months.

She went on to say that, “this Government has adopted a long-term regional development strategy for Gozo that is directed towards building the necessary infrastructure and the appropriate policies to establish a high value-added business and enterprise sector in Gozo.”

Minister Justyne Caruana noted that with the proper infrastructure in place, Gozo will be able to attract more foreign direct investment that will lead to the creation of high-quality jobs and turn Gozo into the innovation island.

The Minister concluded by saying that the Ministry is committed to implement this vision also through the recent membership of the Ministry for Gozo with important networks such as the European Business Network and European Regions research and Innovation Network (ERRIN).