KOTA KINABALU: Sabah ranked as the sixth-largest contributor to Malaysia’s gross domestic product (GDP) last year, achieving a record revenue of RM7bil.
Figures released by the Statistics Department in July showed that Sabah contributed 5.5% to the nation’s GDP last year, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
“Together with Selangor, the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Sarawak and Penang, we accounted for 73% of Malaysia’s economy,” he said at the Eighth World Engineering, Science, and Technology Congress (Estcon) at the Sabah International Convention Centre here on Tuesday (Sept 10).
He added that Sabah received RM11.34bil in investments last year, the seventh highest in the country, 13.3% of it coming from the manufacturing sector.
Sabah is hosting Estcon for the first time, organised by Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) and PETRONAS, with over 1,000 participants from 25 countries.
Hajiji also stressed the need for quality tertiary education in Sabah to provide excellent STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) qualifications.
The state government aims to see at least 40% of students enrolled in the science stream by next year.
“For the younger generation to lead the state’s progress, it requires collective efforts from both the government and stakeholders to support youth development in every way,” he said.
He highlighted the importance of accessible quality tertiary education, particularly in today’s world where science and technology drive progress.
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor delivering his speech at the Eighth World Engineering, Science, and Technology Congress (ESTCON) held at the Sabah International Convention Centre on Tuesday (Sept 10).
He added that the state Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry has implemented the 2022-2025 Strategic Plan to strengthen Sabah’s STEM ecosystem.
On digitalisation, Hajiji said Sabah is working towards becoming a thriving digital economy, accelerating transformation initiatives.
“In November, we signed an agreement with Huawei Technologies Malaysia at its headquarters in Shenzhen, China aimed at empowering our state and citizens to benefit from technological innovation, driving economic growth and improving public services.”
This partnership, he said, will advance sectors like agriculture, smart manufacturing under Industry 4.0, tourism, smart city planning, ecommerce, and digital infrastructure, with the implementation of AI-ready and data-driven digital services for the government, businesses and the community.
Meanwhile, UTP vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Mohamed Ibrahim Abdul Mutalib said they are at the forefront of shaping the future through commitment to sustainable;e energy, digitalisation and smart community initiatives.
“Supporting PETRONAS’ sustainability aspirations, UTP has embraced sustainability as a core principle, integrating it into all facets of our operations, from administration and teaching to research priorities and day-to-day workings,” he said.
He added that Estcon’s focus, “Future Positioning through Sustainable Energy, Digitalisation and Smart Community”, is aimed at embracing energy transition and transformation to foster sustainable living.
“Estcon will also address trends and global challenges in a broad spectrum of disciplines in innovation, engineering, technology and the humanities,” he said.
