Hajiji being briefed on the cement factory project by Michael Kinsuan, who is Borneo Cement Sabah (BCS) Sdn Bhd managing director.
KOTA KINABALU: An integrated clinker and cement factory in Kampung Kawayoi Pinangah will help boost the socio-economy of the local community once it is completed in the interior Tongod district located in central Sabah.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the state’s largest such facility would complement the existing Cement Industries Sabah (CIS) Sdn Bhd factory once operational.
“I believe this new factory will not only boost our cement production but we can also be a cement exporter,” he said, during the factory's groundbreaking ceremony in Kampung Pinangah on Saturday (April 27).
“This is another initiative of the government to stimulate Sabah’s economic growth and attract investors to the state,” he added.
The Chief Minister said he had the inspiration to set up the cement factory in Tongod in view of the availability of resources needed to produce cement.
Hajiji said in tandem with the construction of the cement factory, other infrastructures would also be set up such as roads leading to the site, a water treatment plant, electricity and telecommunications that indirectly benefit people in the rural areas, particularly the folks in Tongod.
He said the project would also provide more than 1,000 job opportunities to the local community.
The project was indeed a catalyst for economic growth for the district and Sabah, he said, adding that it also augured well with the government’s resolve to end hardcore poverty in the state.
He said through determination and focus, the state government managed to reduce the hardcore poverty rate by 40%.
Meanwhile, at the same ceremony, the Chief Minister also presented 83 land grants, with a total acreage of 461.1 (186.06ha) to the recipients from Kampung Kuamut (27), Kampung Penangah (21), Kampung Entilibon (25) and Kampung Mananam (10).
