TONGOD: The setting up of Sabah's largest integrated clinker and cement factory in Kampung Kawayoi Pinangah here will uplift the local community, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
The project, worth RM1.2 billion, would provide more than 1,000 jobs, he added.
Hajiji said the factory would boost the state's cement production and position Sabah as a cement exporter state.
He added the factory would complement the Cement Industries Sabah factory once it started operating.
"The project is a catalyst for growth for the district and Sabah. It also augurs well for the government's goal to end hardcore poverty.
"This is another initiative by the government to stimulate Sabah's economic growth and attract investors."
He said this in a statement after the factory groundbreaking ceremony in Kampung Penangah here
In tandem with the construction of the factory, other infrastructure would also be set up, such as roads leading to the site; a water treatment plant; and electricity and telecommunications that would indirectly benefit people in rural areas, particularly those in Tongod, he said.
At the same ceremony, Hajiji presented 83 land grants, with a total of 186.06ha, to villagers from Kampung Kuamut (27), Kampung Penangah (21), Kampung Entilibon (25) and Kampung Mananam (10).