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46 Borneo Bulletin Yearbook 2023
Borneo Bulletin Yearbook –
30 years and counting
2023 is a milestone year for the
Borneo Bulletin Yearbook (BBYB) as
it marks 30 years of being the most
comprehensive guide to Brunei
Darussalam since 1993.
Published annually by Brunei Press
Sdn Bhd, the BBYB provides insights
into initiatives implemented by the
government to support the growth of
key industries across various sectors
in Brunei. It also provides updates on
Brunei’s economic outlook, future
development plans, latest names
and designations of key government
personnel, fast facts on population,
import/export figures and gross
domestic product growth.
Available in print and online, the
yearbook is distributedvia redemption
in Borneo Bulletin and Media Permata
newspapers. The yearbook is also
distributed to commercial and
industrial sectors, professional bodies,
trade organisations, government
institutions, hotels, embassies, Brunei
High Commissions worldwide and
foreign missions in the country.
In 2017, the BBYB Networking
Session was launched in response
to feedback from partners. These
sessions provide a common place
for key figures from the government,
public and private sectors to
meet, discuss and exchange ideas
centred on the country’s economic
diversification efforts. Since then, it
has gained momentum and is looked
forward to yearly.
The BBYB Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprises (MSME) Showcase was
launched in 2020 as an extension
of the range of events for the BBYB
Networking Session. The event
showcased some of the country’s
inspirational entrepreneurship success
stories to the public, while also
allowing budding entrepreneurs
to engage and learn through an
extensive network of business
support, ideas and solutions.
With a circulation of over 50,000
copies, the yearbook has become a
sought-after guide to the country’s
business arena. As of August 2022,
the BBYB website registered 2.2
million page views and six million hits.
The yearbook’s success for the past
three decades can be attributed to the
demand for key in-depth information
on the Abode of Peace, and Brunei
Press through its corporate social
responsibility initiative to give back to
the community.
In conjunction with its 30th
publication, this year’s BBYB features
the theme ‘Building the Future’. A
notable highlight of this year’s edition
is a special section on successful
business leaders and inspirational
local youth as they contribute
towards shaping the future of Brunei.
The 30th anniversary logo incorporates
turning pages to symbolise the
yearbook’s role as the trusted
business guide to Brunei, and it will
continue to serve its readers for many
years to come.
Borneo Bulletin
2023 is also a landmark year for
the Borneo Bulletin, which will be
celebrating its 70th anniversary as the
leading English daily in Brunei.
The Borneo Bulletin was first published
in 1953 as a weekly community
newspaper for expatriates working in
the Belait District. In 1959, the founders
of Borneo Bulletin sold the press and
newspaper to the Straits Times of
Singapore. At that time, the weekly
Borneo Bulletin consisted of 12 pages
and had a circulation of 3,500 copies.
In 1985, Brunei’s first public listed
company QAF took over part of the
shares of Brunei Press from the Straits
Times . Five years later in September
1990, the Borneo Bulletin became a