Ministry must be innovative instead of waiting for allocations – Tangau

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Madius

KOTA KINABALU: The Ministry of Trade and Industries must be innovative in order to produce results for the state, instead of waiting for allocations from the federal government.

Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Madius Tangau said the Ministry needed to innovate in terms of financing and collaborate in order to encourage industrialisation in Sabah and potentially attract foreign investors.

“We have to make full use of the amenities and facilities we have. One of the ways we are doing this is by collaborating with other ports, such as the Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC) port in Lahad Datu, which finally received its licence as a legal landing place.

“We also collaborate with North Port in Port Klang. This way, we can catalyse industrial growth in the east coast of Sabah, by making POIC Lahad Datu a transit hub,” said Madius.

Moreover, the Ministry has set up One District, One Industry committees comprising district officers and permanent secretaries of five ministries, to discuss investment and industrialisation potential in respective districts.

As for foreign investment and collaboration, Madius said banning the export of timber has attracted foreign investors and experts to Sabah.

“Since the state government banned the export of timber from Sabah about a year ago, we have actually attracted positive international attention. Investors from Brunei and China came in to develop businesses here, due to the ease of obtaining raw materials.

“Meanwhile, an international biomass conference recently drew interest of experts with the technology and capital to invest in a high-value product such as bio-based chemicals from timber biomass.

“On another note, two organisations which were always at heads, are now collaborating and are in talks to form a Sabah Timber Council. This could then allow those who wish to be involved in manufacturing to obtain raw materials easily, among other things,” said Madius.