SIPITANG, Dec 13: The launch of Sabah’s first Scheduled Waste Management Facility at the Sabah Oil & Gas Industrial Park (SOGIP) here is expected to significantly reduce pollution risks while strengthening the state’s industrial sustainability.
Industrial Development, Entrepreneurship and Transport minister Datuk Ewon Benedick said the facility, developed by E-Concern (Borneo) Sdn Bhd with a total investment exceeding RM1 billion, is a critical infrastructure to ensure safe and environmentally compliant handling of scheduled waste in Sabah.
“Among the key benefits of this project are reducing reliance on facilities outside Sabah, lowering logistics costs, ensuring compliance with environmental standards and reducing the risk of pollution,” he said at the groundbreaking ceremony of the facility, which was officiated by him at SOGIP, Sipitang, on Friday.
Ewon said the scheduled waste management facility is essential to support industrial growth, particularly when the management of scheduled waste is later taken over by the State Government.
270 jobs to be created, attract more investment
He added that the project aligns with the Sabah First vision introduced at his ministry, which focuses on developing more income-earning Sabahans, either as enterprise owners or as part of the industrial workforce.
In addition to environmental benefits, the facility is projected to create about 270 job opportunities when fully operational, with priority given to Sabahans, while also attracting new investments to SOGIP, Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP) and Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC).
Ewon expressed hope that all relevant agencies, including the Department of Environment (DOE), Sabah Environmental Protection Department (JPAS), SOGDC, MIDA, local authorities and the Public Works Department (JKR), would continue to work together to ensure the project is implemented smoothly and in compliance with established standards.
He said his ministry remains committed to strengthening the investment ecosystem in line with the Sabah Maju Jaya aspirations by enhancing investor confidence through clear policies and effective inter-agency coordination, empowering local entrepreneurs to participate in supply chains, and improving logistics and transport infrastructure.
Based on Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) records, Ewon said Sabah’s manufacturing sector recorded RM24.98 billion in approved investments between September 2020 and September 2025, comprising RM19.55 billion in foreign direct investment and RM5.43 billion in domestic direct investment, involving 91 projects and creating more than 8,000 jobs.
He added that SOGIP continues to emerge as a key catalyst for industrial growth, with major investments from companies such as Esteel Enterprise Sabah, PETRONAS and E-Concern (Borneo) Sdn Bhd, reflecting investor confidence in Sabah’s economic potential.
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