Author: OBG Admin

Daniel Asare-Kyei-CEO-Esoko; Curtis Vanderpuije-CEO-ExpressPay; and Daniel Marfo-General Manager-Zipline Ghana

A massive, multi-year industrial project pushes the construction sector forward in Sarawak

Posted OBG AdminPosted in Uncategorized

  Far and away the largest driver of investment and construction for both the public and private sectors in Sarawak is an industrial project called the Sarawak Renewable Energy Corridor (SCORE). Covering a vast area of over 70,000 sq km, the site is one of five economic development corridors established nationwide and is largely responsible for elevating the state to become Malaysia’s highest recipient of foreign direct investment (FDI). In 2013 foreign companies approved more than $2bn in investments in Sarawak, much of this going to heavy industrial manufacturing projects. This wave of private investments is further supported by ongoing infrastructure spending being carried out

Nhon Luc Ly-CEO-AIA Myanmar; Son Nguyen-Country President-Chubb Life Insurance Myanmar; Daw Zarchi Tin-CEO

Samalaju in Sarawak will benefit from a new purpose-built industrial port

Posted OBG AdminPosted in Uncategorized

  With major front-end utility investments for the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) such as water and power hook-ups now complete, efforts are shifting towards completing transportation infrastructure to accommodate the surge in the industrial park’s growing cargo traffic. This includes ongoing construction of two new dedicated ports – both of which are already operating on a limited capacity – as well as new overland transport arteries to complete the logistics chain from factory door to the ship hold. SAMALAJU: Much of Sarawak’s future growth and economic diversification is predicated on the development of its SCORE industrial park located in central Sarawak. Private companies

Éric N’guessan-Managing Partner-EY Côte d’Ivoire

Sarawak focuses on building and upgrading regional transportation links

Posted OBG AdminPosted in Uncategorized

  Situated on some of the most important trade routes in the world and positioned to capitalise on raw resources of energy and minerals flowing to Asia from Africa and the Middle East, as well as exports out of the region, Sarawak is poised to take advantage of the massive flow of goods steaming past its doorstep. More than half of the world’s annual merchant fleet tonnage passes through the Strait of Malacca to the west and the Sunda Straight and Lombok Straight in Indonesia to the south, with the majority continuing on to the South China Sea past Borneo. So important are these shipping

Chaim Zach-Managing Director and CEO-Agric International Technology and Trade; Kabiru Rabiu-Group Executive Director-BUA Group; and Aliyu Abbati Abdulhameed-Managing Director

Plane speaking: Cargo and passenger movements were both on the increase throughout 2014

Posted OBG AdminPosted in Uncategorized

  As Sarawak is separated from Peninsular Malaysia by the South China Sea and from the rest of Borneo due to limited road connectivity, air travel is the primary means of transport for most of those travelling to and from the state. By far the busiest airport serving Sarawak is Kuching International Airport (KIA), its only international airport. This transit hub is supported by seven smaller domestic airports: Sibu, Mukah, Bintulu, Mulu, Marudi, Miri and Limbang. All eight major international and domestic airports are managed by Malaysia Airports Holdings, which also runs the primary airports across the rest of the country, including Kuala Lumpur International

Nhon Luc Ly-CEO-AIA Myanmar; Son Nguyen-Country President-Chubb Life Insurance Myanmar; Daw Zarchi Tin-CEO

Home grown: Growth in base crops for domestic use paves the way for exports

Posted OBG AdminPosted in Uncategorized

  A tropical climate, abundant fresh water and vast tracts of land for farming have endowed Sarawak’s agriculture sector with ample resources to achieve sustainability in several staple food categories, including grains, fruits, vegetables and edible oils. While self-sufficiency in rice is still a work in progress, the state’s farmers are now productive enough at growing base crops for the industry to turn towards the more profitable export sector. Increases in productivity and cultivated area in many crops are allowing local goods to supplement agricultural imports and help meet demand as the rising population and GDP fuel new consumption. This in turn has eased pressure

Chaim Zach-Managing Director and CEO-Agric International Technology and Trade; Kabiru Rabiu-Group Executive Director-BUA Group; and Aliyu Abbati Abdulhameed-Managing Director

Pepper production has performed strongly in Sarawak

Posted OBG AdminPosted in Uncategorized

  Riding a wave of robust market prices, Sarawak’s pepper industry has continued to post financial gains as global demand for the spice continues to grow. The state dominates Malaysia’s pepper sector, accounting for roughly 95% of the country’s output. As a result, pepper has become a major cash crop supplementing the timber and palm oil industries. First cultivated during the 19th century, Sarawak pepper has become internationally prized for its high quality over the years. BULL RUN: Malaysia consistently ranks in the world’s top five exporters. The country shipped out 12,105 tonnes of the spice in 2013, according to data from the International Pepper

Éric N’guessan-Managing Partner-EY Côte d’Ivoire

Sarawak’s palm oil industry wrestles with concerns over sustainability

Posted OBG AdminPosted in Uncategorized

  Each year, more and more of the trees on Sarawak’s tropical forests and peat land are felled and cleared as companies look to feed rising global demand for both timber and the products of plantations erected in their place. Such lucrative operations have been practised for decades across Borneo, on both the Malaysian and the Indonesian sides. Yet calls are growing louder to turn the industry towards a more sustainable, longterm strategy that will reduce its environmental impact while ensuring profitability for generations to come. GREENHOUSE GASES: The chief criticism levelled at the industry is that the acreage of large plantation estates has grown

Chaim Zach-Managing Director and CEO-Agric International Technology and Trade; Kabiru Rabiu-Group Executive Director-BUA Group; and Aliyu Abbati Abdulhameed-Managing Director

Sarawak state government hopes to relocate the marine engineering industry to a new township at Tanjung Manis

Posted OBG AdminPosted in Uncategorized

  The new township of Tanjung Manis, occupying a central location within the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) and possessing a natural deep-water port, is earmarked for development as a strategic hub for the state’s timber, palm oil and halal food processing industries, as well as to become the new base for the marine engineering industry. The state-owned Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC) has been tasked with overseeing the growth of the node and the firm is planning to spend about RM5bn ($1.5bn)

Daouda Coulibaly-Managing Director-Société Ivoirienne de Banque

At the centre: The state is at the heart of new projects that will transform the sector

Posted OBG AdminPosted in Uncategorized

  According to the “Malaysia Energy Statistics Handbook 2014”, Malaysia is endowed with 98.31trn standard cu feet (scf) of proven natural gas reserves, of which Sarawak accounts for around half, with 50.12trn scf, and neighbouring Sabah with 13.21trn scf. Offshore basins in the two eastern Malaysian states have become the focal point of exploration and production in recent years, as western Malaysia faces a steady decline in production from its maturing offshore oil and gas fields. In 2013, as per figures from the International Energy Agency, Malaysia’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports were valued at RM59bn ($17.9bn) and responsible for 8.2% of national export earnings.

Sheikh Ahmad Duaij Jaber Al Sabah-Chairman-Commercial Bank of Kuwait

Heavy industry is set to be a major player in the state’s future

Posted OBG AdminPosted in Uncategorized

  As Malaysia’s largest state, making up around 40% of the country’s total land mass, Sarawak stretches over an area of 124,449 sq km and occupies 320 km of coastline, endowing it with large plots of land that can be allocated for industrial development with import and export facilities. The Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) is one of five regional development corridors taking place throughout Malaysia. Within SCORE there are five designated new growth nodes, each adopting a different investment proposition. The Mukah growth node will be developed into a smart city, Tanjung Manis into an industrial port city and halal hub, while Barum