Connect Asia Pacific 2013

​Pedro Lay da Silva was appointed Minister for Transport and Communications in the Fifth National Government of Timor-Leste in August 2012. Earlier, he served as Minister for Infrastructure from 2007-2012 with a portfolio that included Transport, Communications, Public Works, Water, Electricity and Urbanisation. Prior to entering politics, Mr. Lay da Silva had worked in engineering, management and consultancy roles for 20+ years.

In government, Minister Lay da Silva has pursued the development of several strategic infrastructure programs. He has delivered a national electricity grid, a national fibre-optic backbone and is working on the development of the country’s main airport and seaport. Minister Lay da Silva has also pursued reforms to introduce competitiveness in the telecom sector. He has delivered the liberalization of the telecom market in 2012 and is working on the establishment of a new independent telecom regulator. Timor-Leste now has a vibrant telecom sector with three active commercial operators.

Pedro Lay da Silva grew up in Dili. He has a Bachelor of Engineering from an Indonesian University and a Master of Engineering Science from UNSW, Australia.