MT MSDN Drives Strengthening Of National Data Governance And Ecosystem

PUTRAJAYA, June 18 (Bernama) -- The Supreme Meeting of the National Statistics and Data Council (MT MSDN) today deliberated on six strategic papers, covering the standardisation of national official statistics standards, the strengthening of data governance, the integration of administrative data, and the development of a science, technology and innovation talent database.

It also included the empowerment of national data for youth development, as well as the management of national road asset data.

The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), in a statement today, said the decision of the meeting reflects the government’s continued commitment to making MT MSDN a catalyst for strengthening and integrating the country’s statistics and data ecosystem amid increasingly complex and dynamic economic challenges.

“This emphasis includes strengthening the application of standards, manuals and guidelines in the production of official statistics, expanding the integration of administrative data across agencies and developing a national strategic database to support more accurate, transparent, effective and accountable policy formulation and programme implementation,” said DOSM.

MT MSDN No. 1/2026, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, is the country’s highest advisory body, responsible for providing strategic guidance and direction to strengthen the governance of the National Statistical System and the development of the national data ecosystem.

According to DOSM, Malaysia is now on the verge of transitioning into a high-income nation, requiring more strategic, accurate and integrated data management capabilities.

In this regard, it said MT MSDN serves as an important foundation for strengthening the institutional and regulatory framework, ensuring the national statistical system remains robust, reliable and aligned with international standards and current economic realities.

“Target setting, progress monitoring and assessment of the level of achievement of high-income countries need to be supported by valid statistics and data so that every policy decision can be made in a more responsive, high-impact and sustainable manner.

“In line with efforts to strengthen the national statistics and data ecosystem, the need to improve the institutional and regulatory framework will continue to be examined to enhance coordination, integration and data sharing between government agencies,” said DOSM.

Moving forward, MSDN will continue to be strengthened as a strategic national platform to support policies that expand and intensify the use of administrative data in a more widespread, structured and integrated manner across ministries, agencies, states and districts.

--BERNAMA