Sabah To Seek State Cabinet Backing For OGSE 5-year Roadmap - Ewon
KOTA KINABALU, June 5 (Bernama) -- The Sabah Ministry of Industrial Development, Entrepreneurship and Transport (MINDET) will bring the Sabah Oil & Gas Services and Equipment (OGSE) 5-Year Roadmap to the state Cabinet for endorsement.
Deputy Chief Minister III Datuk Ewon Benedick said the roadmap, presented at the Sabah OGSE Conference and Exhibition 2026, reflects the industry’s aspiration to increase the participation of local companies in a more comprehensive and meaningful manner.
“Over the course of this two-day conference, the most significant outcome was the presentation of the Sabah OGSE 5-Year Roadmap, which highlights the state’s ambition to develop its oil and gas industry with greater involvement from local players than we see today.
“At the ministry level, we will bring these findings to the Sabah Cabinet and seek its full support,” he said in a statement after closing the conference here today.
Ewon, who is also Sabah’s Minister of Industrial Development and Entrepreneurship, said the roadmap is designed to guide local industry players in increasing their participation. This initiative aligns with efforts to strengthen local content in the sector.
He said the roadmap outlines several key pillars centred on shared responsibilities among the government, oil and gas operators, industry stakeholders and Sabah-based companies.
“One of the key pillars is the role of local industry players themselves in building capacity. While we want to support greater participation by Sabah companies, we also want to see them strengthen their own capabilities,” he said.
Ewon emphasised that capacity building extends beyond asset ownership and includes developing skills, human capital and the technical capabilities needed to compete effectively in the industry.
He expressed confidence that by 2030, Sabah would be able to measure a more significant increase in local industry participation, marking a starting point for the state to emerge as a regional oil and gas hub.
Ewon said that Sabah could no longer remain solely a producer of natural resources, but must also become an equity holder in its resources and a key participant in the industry's services and supply chain.
He said MINDET would play a more significant role in realising the “Sabah First” aspiration to ensure that the benefits of the oil and gas industry are more widely shared among the people and local businesses in the state.
-- BERNAMA