GEORGE TOWN, April 29 -- Malaysia is facing a critical brain drain problem with 1.86 million Malaysians having left the country over the past 50 years, said digital minister Gobind Singh Deo.

Gobind said the 1.86 million Malaysians represented 5.6 per cent of the population, which is higher than the global average of 3.6 per cent.

"As such, the Madani government has developed several strategies to not only strengthen the nation's talent ecosystem, but to retain them," he said during his keynote address at the launch of 42 Penang Campus here today.

He cited the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint (MDEB) - which covers the development of digital talent - as an example.

"Then we have the National Semiconductor Strategy which aims to train...