KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s Gross Domestic Product increased from RM77.80bil in 2020 to RM84.30bil in 2024 – and this is the highest since the COVID-19 pandemic – says Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
He said this reflects the effectiveness of the state government’s fiscal policies, especially prudent revenue management and efficient collection systems.
“This demonstrates the resilience of the state’s economy despite a challenging global environment,” said Hajiji.
He cited geopolitical tensions, commodity market uncertainty and a global slowdown.
“For 2025 and 2026, growth momentum is expected to strengthen through high impact projects,” he said, adding that an increase of of around 1.5% to 2% is projected.
Hajiji said this at the 2025 Sabah Civil Service Convention at the Sabah International Convention Centre on Tuesday (Nov 11).
He added that the state government has managed inflation in an orderly manner, as
Sabah’s inflation rate was 1.2% in 2024 which is lower than the national 1.8%.
He said this achievement was supported by government stimulus initiatives and cited
the Micro Credit Loan Scheme, which has empowered small and medium sized entrepreneurs.
Hajiji said total approved financing stands at RM2.37mil for 1,210 applications to date.
Entering the 13th Malaysia Plan from 2026 to 2030, he said Sabah remains among the top recipients of development allocations.
Hajiji said RM6.9bil is allocated for 2026 to accelerate socio economic growth.
He added that on June 4, 2025, the Sabah State Cabinet approved a development expenditure ceiling of RM12.02bil under 13MP.
He said it covers 1,173 development programmes and projects, the highest in the state’s history.
Hajiji said the government has developed a Good Regulatory Practice Policy to ensure efficient service delivery.
He said it aims to enhance regulation quality and remove rules that harm the economy and public welfare.
“Over the past five years, 48 new and amended Bills have been introduced,” he said.
He added that the Sabah Integrity and Governance Division was established on July 26, 2022 to oversee compliance with integrity standards.
He said digitalisation is at the core of more effective and efficient service delivery and that the Sabah Data Integration and Interchange Platform was developed under the Digitalisation Strategic Plan.
Hajiji said over 10,000 active Google Workspace accounts have been provided for government staff to enhance connectivity and productivity.
He added 290 system application projects have been developed and implemented across the state.
Hajiji said another 53 Public Service Digitisation Projects are underway towards full digital transformation.
