Hajiji (left) accompanied by Sedia CEO Datuk Seri Hashim Paijan (second left, partially covered) chatting with Sedia officers upon arrival at the Rumpun Bajau Samah Cultural Centre.
KOTA KINABALU: Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor wants Sabah to have new ways to generate income and eventually move away from depending on traditional revenue sources such as crude oil and rubber.
The Chief Minister said, hence, he had instructed the Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority (Sedia) to collaborate with strategic government agencies such as the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry and private sectors to create new economic resources for the state.
"We must be able to make a paradigm shift on the state’s socio-economic development process," he said when chairing the Sedia board meeting at the Rumpun Bajau Samah Cultural Centre in Lok Batik in the Tuaran district, some 40km from here on Thursday (March 28).
The Sedia chairman said it was time for Sabah to shed its dependency on existing economic resources such as oil palm, oil and gas and rubber and look at diversifying its economic resources.
"We need to take full advantage of the research, development and commercialisation activities," he added.
Hajiji said based on statistics by the Statistics Department, Sabah’s main exports in 2022 were crude palm oil totalling RM21.1bil, liquefied natural gas (LNG) at RM5.2bil, crude petroleum at RM30bil, palm kernel oil at RM3.1bil and others comprising a variety of raw or processed goods at RM3.5bil.
"This shows that we must identify a bigger market for our non-commodity products.
"We must also increase production of non-commodity goods that have a high potential for exports," he said.
He also called upon studies and research centres in Sabah to play their role in knowledge development, stimulate innovations and producing high-quality products with trade value beneficial and profitable for the state.
"There are more than 21 studies and research centres in the state.
"We can leverage on their research to develop Sabah’s downstream activities," Hajiji said.
The Chief Minister hoped the findings from previous, ongoing and future studies by Sedia would be fully utilised by the relevant government agencies.
Among the studies are the redevelopment of tourism in the Mesilau highlands and redevelopment of Poring Hot Spring in the Ranau district; economic development at the Sabah Border and Business and Economic Master Plan for the POIC (Palm Oil Industrial Cluster) Sandakan, among others.
"I want all findings and results from these studies to be shared and used widely not only as a basis for recommending development projects but also as a reference for both domestic and foreign investors," Hajiji said.
