KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is expected to have a complete road network by 2030, said Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Aman.

Musa said the state will be fully connected in 13 years' time and the Pan Borneo Highway will act as the network spine that will spur new development along stretches of the highway.

"This vital road connectivity will attract more investors participating in various development projects, thus further unlocking the potential of more parts of the hinterland that will then help to further drive the economic activities for the state" he said.

"We will expect a hive of economic activities that will thrive, and that will be necessarily and amply supported by infrastructure and utility projects, such as electrical power supply and water distribution works" added Musa, whose speech was delivered by Deputy Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Panglima Raymond Tan Shu Kiah, at the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) Roadshow 2017 and the MoU signing ceremony between BEM and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) here yesterday.

Musa emphasized that Sabah is fully committed to comprehensive implementation of various development programs and projects in 2017 and beyond. In light of this vision, the Chief Minister called upon engineering practitioners to tap into the potential and utilize the state's natural resources.

"There are broadly five sectors which critically require the services of engineering teams" said Musa.

"Firstly, improvement of the connectivity of the state by constructing more roads and bridges. Secondly, upgrading of the sanitary system and expansion of water supply. Thirdly, the development of infrastructure and facility for tourism industry; and finally, the best practices in agriculture sector" he added.

Musa also entrusted engineers to not lose sight of quality and safety, whilst the state embarks on important physical connectivity and facility upgrading programs, including implementation and commissioning of more power plants, dams, port expansion and airports.

"This has to be delivered through the highest standards of professionalism. This is particularly compelling with the recent spate of building failures and shortcomings in the construction industry as reported in the papers, and the public's expectation that it should be addressed and mitigated" he said.

In addition, the Chief Minister also lauded BEM's liberalization of the engineering services in respect of competition with foreign talents.

"This is a good reminder for Sabah, to intensify our efforts in producing the necessary talent pools to match the challenging demands of the future" he said.

Deputy Minister of Works Malaysia, Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin, Public Works Department Sabah director, Datuk Amrullah Kamal, BEM president, Dato Sri Ir. Dr Roslan Md Taha and UMS vice chancellor Professor Datuk Dr D Kamarudin D Mudin were also present at the event.