Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan yesterday led a delegation comprising elected representatives from the northern region of Sarawak to brief Federal Rural Development Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid on the latest infrastructure development in the state.

Awang Tengah, who is also Second Minister for Natural Resources and Urban Development and Minister for International Trade and Investment, gave an overview of the state’s initiatives to ensure sustainable economic growth post Covid-19.

The delegation also included senior officers from government agencies in the northern region, including the Regional Corridor Development Authority (RECODA).

Awang Tengah, who is chairman of the Northern Region Development Agency (NRDA), an agency under RECODA, also touched on the socio-economic and infrastructure developments plans for the region.

RECODA CEO Datu Ismawi Ismuni delved into the overall road network connectivity for the SCORE region and its significant in spurring investment and economic growth in the context of the region’s relationship with the Brunei Darussalam–Indonesia–Malaysia–Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

RECODA is a statutory body tasked with managing SCORE, which covers 80% of the state’s land area. In addition to implementing development projects in SCORE, RECODA is also tasked with drawing investments and creating job opportunities for Sarawakians.

It was also highlighted that the Sarawak Government has funded a total of 263 infrastructure and socio-economic projects, such as the construction of roads, bridges, water supply, socio-economic programmes as well as masterplans, to complement efforts by the Federal Government to develop the economic corridor.

Several proposals were also put forward, such as bridging the missing road links of the Pan Borneo Highway and other access roads to village settlements as well as tourist destinations.