KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government has allocated RM2.63 billion for infrastructure development programmes and public amenities in this year's State Budget.
State Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the allocation demonstrates the government's commitment to spurring economic growth and making Sabah more attractive to investors.
He added that another significant action plan involves enhancing road connectivity by completing the Pan Borneo Highway Project and adding other road linkages.
Regarding the critical issue of clean water supply, Hajiji said RM679.85 million was allocated to manage and address this issue, while RM430.84 million was channelled to infrastructure maintenance.
"To improve hydro capacity, we launched the Ulu Padas hydroelectric project last December, which can contribute some 187.5 megawatts (MW) of electricity and has the potential to supply approximately 6,000 million liters daily (MLD) of water.
"The capacity of existing water treatment plants has also been increased," he said at the Sabah Investors Forum at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) here.
His speech was read by state Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun.
The forum was organised by Sabah Development Bank Berhad (SDBank) with investor coordination support from RHB Investment Bank.
Regarding SDBank's role, Hajiji said it is undergoing a transformation journey to fine-tune its alignment with the State's current direction.
"I am pleased to say that the projects in the pipeline are those that will benefit the State.
"I wish to stress that the State Government is pursuing developments and investments critical to support the State's economic growth.
"It is for this reason that SDBank has been mandated to pursue development projects that are economically and socially meaningful and environmentally responsible in Sabah," he said.Ends.