BINTULU: Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan has called on developers to work together to accelerate the development of Samalaju by providing more residential, recreational and educational facilities to support the rapid growth of the industrial area.

According to him, the development of Samalaju must be implemented comprehensively to meet the needs of the population and workforce that are increasing in line with the development of Samalaju as an international-class industrial hub.

"The government is committed to providing various basic and social facilities including housing, educational institutions, health facilities, sports, recreation and more comprehensive utilities.

"We also plan to develop Samalaju town. It involves residential, educational, sports and recreational facilities, in addition to requesting the Federal Government to prioritise the construction of a hospital in Samalaju.

He said this when speaking at the Launching Ceremony of the Samalaju SME Cluster Project in Samalaju, here, on Monday.

At the same time, he shared that the government is also strengthening the infrastructure of the area through increasing the electricity supply capacity as well as the construction of a new water treatment plant with a capacity of 200 million litres per day (MLD) to meet future development needs.

The Second Minister for Natural Resources and Urban Development said that the development of the Samalaju SME Cluster will complement the existing industrial ecosystem by opening up more opportunities for local micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to supply value-added products and services to companies operating in the industrial area.

Datuk Amar Awang Tengah said the project would be developed in 10 phases on an area of ​​96.72 hectares with an estimated total cost of RM223 million.

"Phase 1 and Phase 2, which have been completed, cost RM25.8 million and provide 21 industrial lots," he explained.

He also shared that the Ministry for International Trade, Industry and Investment (MINTRED) would implement the Samalaju Collaborative and Operational Readiness Engine for MSMEs (SCORE-MSME) Programme to strengthen the competitiveness of local MSMEs through vendor development, technology transfer, global certification, skills enhancement and access to financing.

Also present were MINTRED Deputy Minister Datuk Dr Malcolm Mussen Lamoh, Deputy Minister for Infrastructure and Port Development Datuk Majang Renggi, Jepak Assemblyman Iskandar Turkee and MINTRED Permanent Secretary Datu Lester Matthew. -UKASnews