Kuala lumpur: Sabah's abundant natural resources, rich biodiversity, and strategic location will be leveraged with modern infrastructure, green technology, and new economic drivers under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), Deputy Economy Minister Datuk Mohd Shahar Abdullah said. Sabah has been identified as a high-potential blue economy hub, he added.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the establishment of special economic zones, including food production zones, will be explored based on the potential of specific areas. These remarks were made by Mohd Shahar in response to a question from Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal (Warisan-Semporna) on targeted intervention plans to revive Sabah's gross domestic product and prevent a widening of regional economic disparities.

Mohd Shahar stated that development allocations for Sabah under the first rolling plan of the 13MP in 2026 would rise 13.8 percent to RM6.9 billion from a year earlier. Key projects include the Sabah Heart Centre, the Kalabakan-Simanggaris Road, Phase 1B of the Sabah Pan Borneo Highway, and the Sabah Water Project.

He emphasized that the government will continue an integrated approach under the 13MP to ensure development initiatives and strategies are implemented comprehensively and in a targeted manner, ensuring that Sabah's economic potential can be fully mobilized for inclusive and sustainable prosperity. Approved investments in Sabah totaled RM11.91 billion from January to September 2025, comprising RM5.29 billion in domestic investment and RM6.62 billion in foreign investment.