The agreement with Tecom of Dubai has been initialled. The first step towards the creation of a Smart City in Malta has now been taken. Where do we go from here?

Both political parties have publicly declared themselves in favour of this investment and I believe that there will be no hiccups from any political source. The next in line for an official reaction are the unions. I understand that as long as the Employment Act is stood by and adhered to, there should be no problems from this sector either.

There is no doubt that all the good feelings and positive attitudes available will be needed to meet this mammoth challenge. This task will take up substantial resources and though the parties have agreed that, in so far as is feasible, local products and local employment will be opted for, surely in order to fast track the infrastructural needs for this project one can envisage the use of foreign contractors and workmen to be able to meet both timeframes and standards required.

The government is dealing with a business concern which has opted for Malta because of the favourable conditions it has found here when compared to other competitors. Moreover, Malta’s strategic position coupled with the fact that we are now part of the European Union must have contributed favourably to their choice.

Now the other challenge facing us is whether the Maltese labour force is competent enough to meet the demands of this project, mostly in the infrastructural field. Next in line would be the provision and availability of fresh new workers with specific IT capabilities as well as employees necessary for the running and upkeep of the various blocks which will make up Smart City.

The Employment and Training Corporation can help in no small way in this regard. The corporation can organise the necessary learning programmes where these are not catered for by other tertiary education institutions such as MCAST and university. Work here must be geared up to meet the exigencies and requirements of this challenge. It would be ideal if in the next few weeks ETC officials meet up with Tecom directors and employees to determine the terms of reference and know-how that will be required in the different strata of employment that will be eventually on offer.

I have no doubt that the economic benefits from this investment will have a wide ripple effect which will naturally overflow into other fields; anything less than this would result in a shortfall in the government’s strategy. It is a strategy that aims at placing Malta at the forefront in the race to obtain a competitive edge within an economic level playing field. We have joined the EU and the Lisbon Strategy Agenda looms on the horizon – standards need to be met by 2010.

SmartCity@Malta must be a success story and the government, while retaining its position as the country’s administrative watchdog, will see to it that all unnecessary bureaucratic red tape is slashed. The government must ensure that all the departments and entities concerned put their heads together to iron out problems. The whole establishment could learn a good deal as a result of this investment.

An asset in this regard is the fact that this Dubai-based company does not seem to be short of funds and has still to visit banks for financing. If this were not the case and financial backing not available – then there would be an element of risk. One would have to question whether what has been put down on paper and signed up to can become a reality on the ground. One can almost hear the inaudible humming of computers and other technological machinery grinding away.

Taking up this challenge will indeed mean a new phase in the all round economic development of this country. In today’s world diversity is essential in order to keep the clock ticking.

Had Malta not ventured into new fields of operation since the early 1960s we would now have a stale and flawed economy which would not only be out of fashion but, worse still, neither viable nor feasible.

The challenges to the country were taken up and tackled, notwithstanding innumerable problems met with along the way. Today, in an ever-challenging situation which is the result of greater technical accessibility, Malta has survived well. We have managed to deal with unprecedented situations and turned them into successes with economic benefits.

Now the hours are ticking away. In the very near future, the SmartCity@Malta challenge will be discussed and undoubtedly approved by Parliament. Thereafter, upon approval of the final drawings and plans work will commence in earnest. If needs be, the whole project will have to be addressed on a 24/7 basis. In the present circumstances we cannot afford to falter.

Tony Abela is Parliamentary Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister