Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP) is looking forward with the development of the proposed Halal/Food Hub to attract and assist more interested investors.
“KKIP has to start thinking in terms of future needs for these targeted investors and to meet these needs,” Community Development and Consumer Affairs Minister cum KKIP Deputy Chairperson Datuk Jainab Ahmad Ayid said during the 20th KKIP Anniversary Dinner here, Saturday.
She also assured potential investors that KKIP has already earmarked a strategic location for the Halal Hub.
“In this respect, KKIP should take a step further by having a comprehensive review to accommodate a Halal Hub cluster in its Master Plan.
“I am confident that once the certification from the Halal Industry Development Corporation is approved, the potential for spill-overs is limitless,” she said, urging all Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) or Small and Medium Industries (SMIs) to venture into the potentially lucrative industry.
According to her, KKIP will remain focused on industrialisation. However, they will also continue to pursue its vision of developing a satellite town serving the needs of the local community as well as the neighbouring towns.
At the same time also, she said, KKIP could also explore the tourism component of its master plan to further enhance the investment value of KKIP as a whole.
“The board is confident that with a host of plans and programmes lined up for next year under the able administration of the present management, KKIP will have an exciting and profitable year ahead in 2015,” she said, adding that they target to create 50 per cent skilled workforce by the year 2020.
Therefore, Jainab said that investors in KKIP should provide opportunities to create skilled and upskilled workforce to meet market demand.
Currently, according to Jainab, KKIP is at the forefront of industrial action in Sabah and worth over RM2.6 billion in investment value with 275 operational factories offering employment opportunities for 8, 076 workers among the local communities.
*This article was originally published on the Daily Express 20 October 2014. Read the original article here.