Kota Kinabalu: The natural endowments and existing infrastructure in Sabah’s east coast are ready assets to get into gear the development of the Blue Economy.
This is the conclusion of state-owned industry promoter, POIC Sabah Sdn Bhd, on the sideline of the two-day Asean Blue Economy Forum at the Sabah International Convention Centre here on Sept 29-30.
“The Blue Economy is to us at POIC Sabah an extension and continuation of industrial development efforts in Sabah with specific emphasis on marine and coastal resources.”“That we (in the east coast) are centrally located and ideal to be the logistics hub for the east Asean territories with exceptional growth potentials are well known facts, and the mature ports and industrial infrastructure at our POIC Lahad Datu industrial park are ready to host the off-take of numerous projects envisaged for the blue economy,” said Ms Lynette Hoo, the Group Deputy Chief Executive Officer of POIC Sabah Sdn Bhd.
She had earlier briefed Yang Berbahagia Dato’ Hajjah Hanifah Taib, the Deputy Federal Minister of Economy, who had declared open the forum on Monday.
Dato’ Hajjah Hanifah accompanied by Dato’ Nor Azmie Diron, Ketua Setiausaha of Economy Ministry, visited the POIC Sabah exhibition stand at the forum and was met by Ms Hoo as well as Yang Berbahagia Datuk Jasmine Teo, a POIC Sabah board member as well as the Director of the Sabah Economic Planning Unit.
Ms Hoo said POIC Sabah’s optimism is premised on set government priorities, for example, the 13th Malaysia Plan, which underlines a long list of Blue Economy priorities’ seemingly identified for Sabah.
‘The 13th Plan lists Blue Economy priorities in fisheries and aquaculture, coastal and maritime tourism, shipbuilding and repair, renewable energy, marine biotechnology, marine transport and ecosystem-based sectors.
She emphasised that the BIMP EAGA Maritime Academy (BEMA) and maritime transportation hub that POIC Sabah has been planning the past few years fit in well with the vision of State and Federal planners.
She stressed that POIC Sabah has always held the belief that BIMP EAGA, like its parent ASEAN, is best presented and promoted as a single entity.
‘Because of our inter-connectedness, our proximity, our similarities, that we share a lot of the maritime boundaries, we have better leverage together.”“As we move towards opening up the Blue Economy, I believe that bringing EAGA together will gain more traction.”“POIC welcomes strategic participation and investments in the sectors supporting the Blue Economy.”
