The skills and profesionalism of the creative industry practitioners must continue to be improved in line with the aspiration to become a high-income earning nation.

Deputy Communications and Multimedia Minister Jailani Johari said this was because the creative industry represented an important resource in the economic growth and profileration of culture for the developed nations.

"Today, the value of the country's creative industry is estimated to be worth more than RM16 billion," Jailani said at the presentation of acknowledgement certificates for the creative industry 2016 at the National Film Development Corporation (Finas) in Kuala Lumpur last night.

Also present were Finas chairperson Mohd Khusairi Abdul Talib and the chairperson of the Confederation of Creative Content Industry Malaysia (CCIG) Jurey Latiff Rosli.

Jailani said the entertainment and media industry last year generated more than RM9.4 billion involving 45,000 personnel in the creative industry and contributed 1.27 percent to the gross domestic product (GDP).

- Bernama