Kota Kinabalu: BIMP- EAGA Country Director for Malaysia Dr Raymond Alfred said the year 2026 will serve as the critical “institution-building and pilot year” for Sabah, marking the activation of a strategic Rolling Pipeline of Projects (2026–2028) designed to transform the state into a resilient and future-ready trade hub.
Raymond highlighted that this initiative focuses on a multi-gateway strategy.
Advertisement
By moving away from single-port dependency, Sabah aims to diversify risk and improve logistics efficiency, directly linking rural and coastal producers to global markets, he stressed.
The BEBC-Sabah Chairman said the framework identifies specific corridors to streamline regional exports:
- Sapangar Bay: Will serve as the primary hub for China-bound trade, focusing on containerized exports, aquaculture, and halal-certified goods.
- Kudat-Palawan Corridor: Targeted at strengthening ties with the Philippines through Blue Economy activities, including fisheries and seaweed trade.
- POIC Lahad Datu & SOGIP Port: These will remain the anchors for industrial downstream exports and oil and gas logistics, respectively, ensuring energy security.
Raymond explained that a central pillar of the 2026 rollout is the Community-Based Energy Power Plan.
“This project aims to provide stable, clean electricity to SMEs in the fisheries and agriculture sectors across Tuaran, Kota Belud, Kudat, and Pitas…The immediate focus for 2026 includes securing joint venture agreements and negotiating tax incentives for renewable energy materials with state regulators.”
On the aspect of the Blue Economy and Digital Health, he said the pipeline also integrates the Borneo Aquarium and Blue Economy Sustainable Food Programme, which spans Palawan, Kudat, and the Tawau-Sebatik corridor.
He stressed the goal is to enforce certification standards for seaweed and aquaculture to unlock high-value international markets.
Simultaneously, Raymond said the Borneo Digital Health and Halal E-Commerce Platform will be established with Tawau-Semporna as the regional hub.
This digital initiative he said is set to facilitate health monitoring and halal trade across Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia.
To ensure these projects succeed, he added that BEBC-Sabah is working with federal and state authorities to streamline the movement of agricultural products via Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS).
“This involves advancing Special Economic Zone-oriented workplans to ease the cross-border flow of goods between Kudat, Banggi, and Palawan.”
Raymond emphasised that 2026 is about laying the foundation through policy endorsement and public-private partnerships.
“This pipeline connects community-level production to regional gateways,” Raymond noted adding Sabah is not only strengthening its competitiveness but also ensuring that growth is inclusive, serving as a practical implementation anchor for BIMP-EAGA cooperation.
