By Christine T
KUCHING, Sept 29: With RM11.2 billion in approved investments in the first half of 2026, Sarawak plans to ensure more economic value from these investments reaches Sarawakian businesses in its next phase.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said the State’s focus should move beyond attracting domestic direct investment (DDI) and foreign direct investment (FDI) towards creating stronger opportunities for local companies to participate in the resulting supply chains.
He said Sarawakian companies should be supported to move beyond their existing roles and eventually become solution providers and technology partners capable of competing in regional and global markets.
“We want Sarawakian companies to become solution providers, technology partners, and competitive players in regional as well as global markets,” he said when launching the Sarawak Global Supply Chain and Sourcing Programme 2026 at a hotel here today.
Awang Tengah, who is also Minister of International Trade, Industry, and Investment Sarawak (MINTRED), said the Sarawak government would continue attracting investments while strengthening the ecosystem needed to ensure local businesses could benefit from the opportunities created.
He said the objective was not merely to increase the number of local vendors, but to help them move up the value chain, which would require stronger collaboration among multinational corporations (MNCs), anchor companies, investors, and Sarawakian enterprises to identify concrete partnership opportunities.
He said the Sarawak Global Supply Chain and Sourcing Programme 2026 was intended to provide a platform for such connections and turn investment opportunities into sustainable business relationships.
“Our objective must be to move from introduction to opportunities, from opportunities to partnerships, and from partnerships to sustainable businesses,” he said.
Since 2021, Sarawak has attracted RM116 billion in investments across the primary, services, and manufacturing sectors.
Meanwhile, Awang Tengah said the global economic environment was also changing rapidly, with supply chains placing greater emphasis on resilience, sustainability, reliability, and diversification.
“Sarawak must position itself within this changing landscape by strengthening our domestic capabilities while connecting them more effectively to international markets,” he said. — DayakDaily
