KUALA LUMPUR: The Sabah Government through the Ministry of Industrial Development (MID) are inviting more local and foreign investors to expand business to the state.
MID with the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) jointly organised a forum on Investment Opportunities in Sabah Industrial Parks under MID at Westin Hotel, here, Monday.
Sabah Deputy Chief Minister cum Minister of Industrial Development Datuk Dr Joachim Gunsalam said the objective of this forum is to show the local and foreign investors what Sabah could offer to a potential investor through the various presentations and sharing by Invest Sabah Berhad, the Department of Industrial Development & Research and also from the industrial parks – Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP), Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC) Lahad Datu and Sipitang Oil and Gas Industrial Park (SOGIP).
He also hope that this could prompt companies or organisations to set up further discussions with the Ministry, as well as the industrial parks representatives on investing in Sabah.
Dr Joachim said the forum is part of the efforts to promote Sabah as an investment destination because Sabah offers great advantages for investors to do business.
“Today I’m here to try and persuade potential investors to invest in Sabah. I’m sure my ministry can provide all the information needed,” he said.
About 200 participants attended the half-day forum.
Dr Joachim also told the participants that MID will help them.
“That’s why MID formed a special task force. This task force consisting of both state and federal ministries, departments and agencies will assist to expedite all approvals needed,” he said.
Apart from looking after the development of the industrial sector in Sabah, he said his Ministry is also given the task to propel the entrepreneurs from small scale into exporting their products overseas or internationally.
To achieve this goal, he said the Ministry strategically will assist all the entrepreneurs by empowering and strengthening the small and medium-sized entrepreneurs (SMEs); providing flexible and facilitate assistance or financing; improving the quality of SME’s products; strengthening product marketing performance capabilities to the global level; and optimising production capacity and capability through Industry 4.0 Technology.
Dr. Joachim also thanked FMM President, Tan Sri Soh Thian Lai, for a very fruitful dinner on Sunday.
Also present were the MID Permanent Secretary Thomas Logijin; Invest Sabah Berhad’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Datuk Madiyem Layapan; POIC Sabah Sdn Bhd CEO Datuk Fredian Gan; Department of Industrial Development and Research Director Tseu Kei Yue; KKIP Sdn Bhd CEO Lawrence Guandi Kimkuan; Sabah Oil & Gas Development Corporation Sdn Bhd (SOGIP) CEO; and FMM Sabah Chairman James Ha as well as the foreign envoys representing United Arab Emirates, Japan, the Czech Republic, Netherlands, Royal Thai, Wallonia Trade and Investment Agency, China, France, Indonesia with some Malaysian company such as Bursa Malaysia Derivatives, CAIQTest Malaysia Sdn Bhd and Cameron Consultatant Limited.
