KOTA KINABALU: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor said Sabah’s record revenue of RM7 billion last year has made it among the top six states contributing
to Malaysia’s 2023 Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He said figures released by the Statistics Department of Malaysia (DOSM) in July
showed that Sabah contributed 5.5 per cent to the nation’s GDP last year.
“Together with Selangor, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Sarawak and
Penang, we contributed 73 per cent to the national economy.
“Just last year, we received RM11.34 billion in investments, the seventh-highest in
Malaysia, with 13.3 per cent garnered from the manufacturing sector,” he said at the
Eighth World Engineering, Science and Technology Congress (ESTCON) at the Sabah
International Convention Centre (SICC) here today.
Organised by Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) and PETRONAS, Sabah is hosting
ESTCON for the first time with over 1,000 participants from twenty five countries.
Meanwhile, Hajiji said Sabah must have quality tertiary education institutions to provide
excellent Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)-related
qualifications for Sabah students as the State Government has set a target of at least
40 per cent of its school students enrolled in science stream by next year.
He said that for the younger generation to take the lead in the State’s progress in the
future, it will require the collective efforts of not just the State Government but also all
stakeholders to continue supporting and helping youths in every aspect of their
development.
“The state government knows it is important that quality tertiary education is available
for our young. More so in this day and age, where science and technology are the main
driving forces of progress, it is important that a substantial part of the student population
in Sabah are into STEM education.
“The state Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry has put in place the 2022-2025
Strategic Plan as a guide to implement various programmes and initiatives to empower
the science, technology, innovation and economy (STIE) ecosystem in Sabah,” he said
The Chief Minister said that on the digitalisation initiatives, Sabah is pursuing its vision
of a thriving digital economy, pushing to accelerate digital transformation initiatives in
Sabah.
“In November of last year, we signed an agreement with Huawei Technologies Malaysia
at the Huawei Headquarters in Shenzhen, China, aimed at empowering our state and
its citizens to reap the benefits of technological innovation, fostering economic growth
and improved public services.
“This will be in agriculture, smart manufacturing under Industry 4.0, tourism, smart city
planning, e-commerce, digital infrastructure, inclusive connectivity and digital
government. This collaborative effort would include the implementation of digital services
that are AI-ready and data-centric for government, businesses and the community,” he
said.
Hajiji said that, under the Hala Tuju Sabah Maju Jaya initiative, the State Government
rolled out the Digital Internet of Things (IoT) Sandbox in 2022 as part of the development
roadmap.
“It provided a safe environment for digital entrepreneurs and innovators to create their
products and test their feasibility. We see the transformative power of digital technology
in sectors like agriculture, mining, and tourism,” he said.
Hajiji also said Sabah is investing heavily in the energy sector, which has encompassed
traditional sources like fossil fuels and emerging renewable options like solar and wind
energy.
“By investing in the energy sector, we will ensure a reliable power supply while also
contributing to a more sustainable energy future. While oil and gas will provide an
important revenue stream for the state, the focus will be on renewables such as solar
and storage technologies, hydro, geothermal, and carbon market opportunities in
Sabah,” he said.
The Chief Minister assured that Sabah will continue to develop essential energy
infrastructure, managing resources to sustain growth.
“The Sabah Energy Roadmap and Master Plan 2040 (Sabah Energy RAMP 2040),
which I launched last year, will strategically guide our future. But its success will require
the full support of both public and private stakeholders to steer Sabah towards a greener,
more sustainable future,” he said.-pr/BNN
