As one of the main pillars of the Halatuju Agenda, the Sabah State government is committed to leverage on manufacturing to drive the state's economic growth. Between 2013 and 2017, the sector has recorded an accumulated investment value of RM10.48 billion and created 11,416 jobs, accelerating the industrial development in Sabah.

In 2016 alone, investments worth RM3.13 billion were received in the state and 5,154 jobs were created through initiatives and programmes undertaken by the state Industrial Development Ministry.

Moving forward, under the 2018 Budget, the state government had allocated RM134 million to drive and increase promotional activities on investment and business opportunities in Sabah.

This will help in boosting the development of the Sipitang Oil and Gas Industrial Park, Lahad Datu Palm Oil Industrial Cluster, Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP) and Sabah Economic Development Corporation.

In seeking to elevate the sector, KKIP Sdn Bhd had also begun to explore new areas to enhance the business and industrial climate in the state, to provide opportunities for the local small and medium enterprise (SME) entrepreneurs to expand their businesses.

In line with the government's aspiration to boost the Sabah SME expansion in the area of the digital economy, the Industrial Development Ministry had also taken the initiative to develop a duty-free trade zone in KKIP.

The Pan Borneo Highway, once completed, will also transform the future of Sabah and neighbouring Sarawak, providing the backbone for transportation that will drive the economic development of the people along its 2,083km alignment and accelerate the social and economic growth of the region.

It will play a major role in opening up economic corridors and opportunities in areas it traverses, providing greater mobility, reducing the cost of point to point connectivity and allowing more business opportunities to be created.