Awg Tengah: State government to focus on bio-economy

0

Yeoh (left) presents a memento to Awang Tengah. Seen from right are Wong and Fadillah. — Photo by Muhammad Rais Sanusi

KUCHING: The state government will focus on bio-economy to fully utilise Sarawak’s biomass for renewable energy and its rich resources, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said.

“Because of the resources that we have, we will give more focus to bio-economy that includes the full utilisation of our biomass for renewable energy,” he said when representing Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg to launch the 4th Sarawak Business and Investment Summit at a leading hotel here yesterday.

Themed ‘Digitising Sarawak, Amplifying Growth’, the summit was organised by Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (Asli), serving as a platform to review the state government’s strategic, complementary two-pronged direction and provide up-to-date business and investment outlook to help industry players reassess their future plans.

Awang Tengah said Sarawak “is blessed with rich biodiversity, you name it and we have it, and their potentials in the pharmaceutical and medicinal fields have yet to be fully exploited.”

As such, he said a research council would be set up to encourage and coordinate research and development (R&D) activities in the state.

He said the state had recently completed the Biovalley Research Centre in Curtin University, Miri at a cost of RM60.6 million.

“The Biovalley Centre also provides incubator facilities, and I hope that the private sector will take advantage of such facilities to carry out R&D works in the pharmaceutical and medical fields,” he added.

Awang Tengah, who is also Minister of Industrial and Entrepreneur Development, said the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of the state’s economy.

Because of this, he said the state government would promote talent and develop capacity of Sarawakians, particularly among the youths.

“In this digital era, for us to embrace fully the digital economy, we must have the right talent and focus more on capacity-building.”

He said the state government would provide financial assistance, infrastructure such as industrial estates and collection centres, and incubators such as the proposed digital village towards this end.

He added that the digital village would be where the state’s creative and innovative minds could gather to develop and commercialise new ideas as well as to encourage the use of digital platform for e-commerce.

“I would like to give assurance that the state government will continue to work hand-in-hand with the private sector to facilitate investments and business ventures,” quipped Awang Tengah.

Among those present were Minister of International Trade and E-Commerce Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh, Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof and Asli chief executive officer Tan Sri Datuk Dr Michael Yeoh.