Sabah to be made more investorfriendly – Hajiji
KOTA KINABALU: The State Government will facilitate ease of doing business and create an investor-friendly environment to spur growth.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Haji Noor said this was in line with the State Government's commitment to prioritise the State's economic development and ensure successful implementation of the Hala Tuju Sabah Maju Jaya (Development Plan 2021-2025).
“I will monitor the efforts of all involved to attract investors to this state. I need to see the reports from time to time so that all the plans to develop Sabah's economy will become a reality.
“We want the people and the State to benefit from it,” he said at a meeting with the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Miti), Sabah Regional Office entourage led by director Mohd Hijri Mat Rani at Seri Gaya here on Thursday.
Hajiji, who is also Finance Minister, stressed on the need to step up efforts to ensure several investment prospects currently under negotiation will materialise.
Among the investments were the vehicle battery components factory, glass manufacturing, port management and aerospace industry.
Once realised, these investments will create more than 1,500 job opportunities for the people of Sabah apart from direct and indirect returns in terms of million of ringgit to the State.
The Chief Minister said he wanted Miti to work closely with the state investment agencies, including newly established Sabah Economic Advisory Council to attract domestic and foreign investors in view of Sabah's huge potential coupled with its strategic position in the region.
During the visit, Hajiji was informed that the investment approval volume in the manufacturing sector by Mida in Sabah was RM6.46 billion for 15 projects in 2019 and RM11.86 billion for 12 projects for 2020 (January-September).
Meanwhile, Sabah's trade volume (with international, peninsula and Sarawak) from January to October 2020 was RM67.1 billion that is RM33.9 billion in exports and RM33.1 billion in imports.
Also presence at the courtesy call were senior officers of agencies under Miti namely Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida) Sabah director Wong Tiang Sing, Malaysian External Trade Development Authority (Matrade) Sabah director Azlan Romlan, Standard and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (SIRIM) Sabah director Rommella Osmand and Malaysian Industrial Development Finance (MIDF) director Sudirman Alwi.