Malaysia has pledged strong support for Palestine’s efforts to rebuild its communication networks and committed to sharing its telecommunications expertise with South Africa. Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil met with Palestine’s Deputy Minister of Telecommunications and Digital Economy, Huda Al-Wahidi, and South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Mondli Gungubele, during the WTDC-25 in Baku.
Fahmi said Malaysia is ready to explore mechanisms to help restore connectivity in Palestine—particularly in Gaza—where infrastructure has been severely damaged. He will present recommendations to the Cabinet, the Prime Minister, and Wisma Putra to ensure Malaysia’s assistance extends beyond technical aid. Palestine plans to table a special ITU motion redefining connectivity as a humanitarian right that should never be targeted during conflict, and Malaysia is considering its support.
Malaysia also reaffirmed its offer of five scholarships for Palestinian students specializing in network and radio engineering to help rebuild Gaza’s communications sector.
In discussions with South Africa, the countries explored deeper cooperation in telecommunications. South African officials expressed admiration for Malaysia’s fast 5G rollout and low-cost internet services, noting potential areas for collaboration. The meeting also referenced President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent state visit and the expanding bilateral ties.
Senior Malaysian officials, including the Ambassador to Azerbaijan and representatives from the Communications Ministry and MCMC, attended both sessions.
