RM2.01 bln for rural Sabah devt projects spent — MP
KOTA KINABALU: The Federal government has provided a RM2.15 billion development allocation for the Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) and RM2.01 billion has been spent on implementing development projects in rural areas including the interior of Sabah.
According to Tenom MP�� Datuk Raime Unggi�� through the development projects implemented�� the SDC has attracted a cumulative investment of RM162.90 billion�� of which RM62.33 billion has been realized and had created a total of 184��209 employment opportunities for the people of Sabah.
He said SDC has driven Sabah to a higher level of social and economic development by utilizing its natural resources as best as possible. Four sectors identified as catalysts for this growth are agriculture�� tourism�� manufacturing and logistics.
“SDC has also driven Sabah’s economy and contributed to the growth of Sabah’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to reach 6.1 per cent��” he told reporters when contacted yesterday.
“The Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority (SEDIA) has implemented development projects across the state under the SDC and these projects include road construction�� forest conservation�� livestock centre�� Prosperous Mini-Estate (MESEJ) project�� eco-tourism�� infrastructure provision�� education hub and creative content development incubator centre.
“Among the high impact projects include the Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC) in Sandakan and the Keningau Integrated Livestock Centre (KILC) which aims to increase meat and dairy production for domestic consumption and export.
“Another high-impact project under the SDC initiative is the Sandakan Education Hub which will focus not only on learning systems but also equipped with a wide range of public utilities that are complete�� modern and of international standards��” he said.
In addition�� in Parliament�� Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak explained that the centre for creative content development incubator was created in the Penampang district as a centre for skill and talent development to generate and unleash the participants’ creativity.
Raime said�� SDC also focused on logistics development as Sabah is strategically located amidst a busy shipping route connecting the Far East and the West.
“With Kota Kinabalu International Airport�� which is Malaysia’s busiest airport�� and Sepanggar Bay Container Port operating for state trade routes and serves as a ‘hub’ for container cargo in Sabah�� the state is able to offer robust logistics�� communications and access facilities in this region��” he said.
According to him�� projects such as the Sapangar Bay Container Expansion Project�� the construction of facilities and infrastructure for the Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC) in Sandakan and Lahad Datu�� Air Freight Research and Logistics Freight Expectations are anticipating future prospects for container handling and cargo.