LAWAS: A five-year socioeconomic development plan is being established to bridge the income gap of rural residents in Limbang and Lawas by maximising the economic growth of the northern region.
To achieve this, the Regional Corridor Development Authority (Recoda) on Tuesday (March 22) launched a two-day Northern Region Development Agency (NRDA) Socio-Economic Lab here, involving local elected representatives, community leaders, public servants and stakeholders.
The lab will gather feedback and baseline data for the NRDA Strategic-Economic Development Plan (2022-2026), involving an overall analysis of the socioeconomic landscape of the northern region.
Deputy Premier and NRDA chairman Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan who officiated at the launch of the lab, said the economic potentials of Limbang and Lawas must be fully explored to ensure a balanced and sustainable growth, in line with the the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy 2030 (PCDS 2030).
“The objective is to turn Sarawak into a developed state by 2030 and to ensure balanced economic growth among all the regions in Sarawak. We want to make sure that no one area can be said to be suffering from under-development.”
He added that the lab held here not only gathered experts of their fields, but also community leaders and representatives from NGOs to gather their input and views not just from the top-level experts but also from the grassroots.
Awang Tengah said it was through infrastructure development, such as construction of bridges, roads, electrical and water supply and communications systems, that would draw investors into the state.
“For us to move forward we also need the involvement of the private sector. This means investment. The government’s role is to facilitate the involvement of the private sector, which is important as they are the engine of growth.
“Socioeconomic activities that have growth potentials include agriculture, fisheries, the making of ikan tahai (smoked fish), buah ulu and beads.”
Earlier, Recoda chief executive officer Datuk Ismawi Ismuni said local communities might be able to adopt new business models that allowed access to financing and new markets.
“This lab is also an excellent platform to discover what training or skills development may be needed by local communities, or maybe identify which cultural assets that can be leveraged.”
He said Recoda had already implemented several socioeconomic programmes in the region such the donation of outboard motors to fishermen, and economic assistance programmes for parang-making and ikan tahai industries.
“A potential in the eco-tourism sector is the traditional knowledge in fisheries and agriculture, as well as well-preserved cultural traditions that can be tourist attractions.
“We need a long-term socioeconomic development plan that can further increase the revenue of local communities in line with PCDS 2030.”
He added that the lab was a platform to hear suggestions and views from all parties on how the socioeconomic development plan could be implemented.
“All these suggestions and views will be collected and made into a report for the attention of the Sarawak government so that it will be implemented for the prosperity and wellbeing of the people.”
