MIDA Industrial Park Forum Highlights Investment Potential in Sabah
The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) collaborated with the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) and Sabah state authorities to organise the fourth and last installation of its industrial park forum series, held today at the Marriot Hotel, Sabah. The event was graced by YB Dr. Ong Kian Ming, Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI). Also present was YB Tuan Chong Chen Bin, Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Trade and Industries, Sabah and Senior Executive Director of MIDA, Mr. Zabidi Mahbar
17 December 2018, Kota Kinabalu – The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) collaborated with the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) and Sabah state authorities to organise the fourth and last installation of its industrial park forum series, held today at the Marriot Hotel, Sabah. The event was graced by YB Dr. Ong Kian Ming, Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI). Also present was YB Tuan Chong Chen Bin, Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Trade and Industries, Sabah and Senior Executive Director of MIDA, Mr. Zabidi Mahbar.
During his keynote address, the Deputy MITI Minister highlighted that Sabah has many opportunities for investments in new growth areas. “Each region in Malaysia is unique in its comparative and competitive advantages. For Sabah, its abundance of natural and agricultural resources has long made this state a base for industrial development. Building on these strengths, there are many untapped opportunities for resource-based manufacturing facilities, particularly in moving downstream and producing high quality goods and services. Having the upstream and downstream industry players in close proximity improves speed and cost of production,” said YB Dr. Ong.
“For Sabah to attract the type of quality investments that we desire, the state needs good industrial parks that can meet the requirements of these industries. It is important to find win-win solutions, and not to keep investors waiting for infrastructure to be built especially in the provision of electricity, water and roads, as these are the basic infrastructure needs for any industry to operate. I urge technical agencies and utility providers such as Telekom Malaysia, Tenaga Nasional Berhad, and Gas Malaysia to come on board and be proactive in supporting investors in these areas,” added YB Deputy Minister of MITI.
Mr Zabidi, in his welcome speech, said, “Sabah is certainly one of Malaysia’s destinations for investment. Following our Invest Sabah briefing held at the MIDA HQ in October, we have received encouraging interest. Tomorrow, there will be 19 eager investors from 11 companies flying into Sabah to explore for themselves the opportunities available in the areas of Oil & Gas, Logistics, Engineering Services, Infrastructure Development and Consulting Services, for their expansion plans.”
As at December 2017, a total of 761 manufacturing projects with investments worth RM15.1 billion have been implemented in Sabah. More than 90,000 jobs have been created from these projects particularly in the food manufacturing, paper, printing & publishing, wood & wood products, chemical & chemical products, and non – metallic mineral products sectors. For the first 9 months of 2018, Sabah continues to attract additional approved investments of RM140.9 million, mainly in basic metal products, food manufacturing, petroleum products including petrochemicals and non-metallic mineral products.
The Industrial Park and Investment Facilitation Forum was well attended by over 250 participants from various fields, including business chambers, local authorities, park developers & managers, utility companies, manufacturers and potential investors. The forum featured two panel discussions that focused on the industrial park ecosystem and investment facilitation.
The first panel session involved sharings from three Sabah industrial park developers namely the Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP), POIC Sabah and Sabah Oil & Gas Development Corporation (SOGDC) as well as representatives from the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM), RWDC Industries Asia Pacific and OFO Tech. The session was moderated by Datuk Chong Hon Len, President of the Federation of Sabah Industries (FSI). Meanwhile, the second session was moderated by Datuk Dr. Mohd Yaakub Haji Johari, Chief Executive of the Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority (SEDIA) and featured representatives from MITI, MIDA, Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), Export-Import Bank of Malaysia Bhd (Exim Bank), SIRIM and Malaysian Industrial Development Finance (MIDF).
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For more information, please contact:
Mr. Syed Kamal Muzaffa
Deputy Director, Domestic Investment and Supply Chain Coordination Division, MIDA
Tel.: 03-2267 3636 | Email:[email protected]
Speech by Deputy Minister of International Trade & Industry_Sabah Industrial Park
Speech by Senior Executive Director of MIDA_Sabah Industrial Park
