KOTA KINABALU: The ground-breaking ceremony for Sabah’s first mini Scheduled Waste Management Facility was officiated by the state’s Deputy Chief Minister III, who is also the Industrial Development, Entrepreneurship and Transportation Minister, Datuk Ewon Benedick.
The facility by E-Concern (Borneo) Sdn. Bhd. at the Sabah Oil & Gas Industrial Park (SOGIP), Sipitang, cost over RM1 bil.
“Among the key benefits of this project are reducing dependence on facilities outside Sabah, lowering logistics costs, ensuring compliance with environmental standards, minimizing pollution risks, and attracting new investments to SOGIP, Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP) and Palm Oil Industrial Park (POIC).
“This facility is also projected to create about 270 job opportunities once fully operational, with priority given to Sabahans,” said Benedick at the event on Saturday (Dec 13).
He expressed hope that all relevant agencies and departments—such as the Department of Environment (DOE), the Sabah Environmental Protection Department, local authorities, and the Public Works Department (JKR)—will work together to ensure smooth project implementation in accordance with established standards.
Commenting on investment performance, Ewon said that based on records from the Malaysian Investment Development Authority, in the five-year period (Sept 2020 to Sept 2025), Sabah’s manufacturing sector recorded approved investments totalling RM24.98bil.
He said this comprised RM19.55bil in foreign direct investment (FDI) and RM5.43bil in domestic direct investment, involving 91 projects and creating more than 8,000 new job opportunities.
