KOTA KINABALU – As Sabah closes its two-day international business summit today, the signing of one of the three MoUs is expected to rake in investments between RM2 billion and RM3 billion, with up to 4,000 new job opportunities for locals.
The first one involving the state’s Agriculture and Fisheries Ministry and Borneomed Sdn Bhd, while the second is with Sabah’s Industrial Development Ministry and SBH Kibing Solar New Materials (M) Sdn Bhd, while the last is between Yayasan Sabah and Pavilion Kota Kinabalu on the development of the Pavilion Harbour City.
During the signing of the MoUs at the Sabah International Business and Conference Summit (Sibes), Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Md Noor said the MoU signed by Yayasan Sabah has potential investments of RM2 billion to RM3 billion, with up to 4,000 new job opportunities for locals.
“With these kinds of investments and potential job opportunities, Sabahans no longer need to go elsewhere to find jobs,” he said, referring to the manpower woes in the state as many Sabahans had migrated to the peninsula and abroad to be employed.
Last night, Hajiji, who is Sulaman assemblyman, hosted a dinner with several foreign diplomats on the sidelines of the summit, which saw over 400 delegates attending at the Sabah International Convention Centre.
Among the foreign diplomats were Spanish ambassador Jose Miguel Corvinos Lafuente, Czech Republic ambassador Milan Hupcej, Swiss ambassador Andrea Reichin, Russian ambassador Naiyl M Latypov, Romanian ambassador Nineta Barblescu, Swedish ambassador Joachim Bergstrom, Italian ambassador Massimo Rustico, South Korean ambassador Lee Chi Beom and New Zealand high commissioner Pam Chong Dunn.
Hajiji mentioned three areas of economic focus and job creation that Sabah can develop – agriculture, industrial and tourism – and the state has promoted them during the summit.
Meanwhile, he described the naming of the new capital city of Indonesia “Nusantara” by President Joko Widodo as “great and good”.
He also expressed hope Sabah would greatly benefit from the relocation of the capital from Jakarta to neighbouring Kalimantan.
“The relocation of Jakarta to Kalimantan will have economic and trade impact on Sabah and Sarawak. At this point, ties between Sabah and North Kalimantan are close.
“This is strengthened by Sabah’s ties with the Brunei, Indonesia, and the Philippines - East Asia Growth Area (BIMP-Eaga).” – The Vibes, January 18, 2022
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