Sabah Continues to Make History by Being Named Malaysia’s Most Outstanding State for 2024 at The IBR ASEAN Awards 2025

12 June 2025

KOTA KINABALU: Organised by the International Business Review (IBR), Sabah has been recognised as Malaysia’s Most Outstanding State for 2024 at The IBR ASEAN Awards 2025. The award was publicly announced by the IBR ASEAN Awards Secretariat, alongside Negeri Sembilan, which was named Malaysia’s Most Progressive State for 2024.

This prestigious recognition was based on thorough evaluations conducted by a panel of distinguished professional judges from various fields, supported by comprehensive data gathered by expert advisors.

For the first time, the awards extended recognition to state governments, honouring exceptional leadership and achievements at the state level alongside notable corporate accomplishments.

Under the leadership of Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor, Sabah received the highest accolade for implementing the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) development framework. This framework focuses on four key pillars: defending Sabah’s rights, ensuring leadership with integrity and efficiency, fostering development aligned with the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030, and maintaining unity among Sabah’s diverse communities.

Notable achievements contributing to this recognition include:

- An increase in Federal special grants from RM26 million in 2022 to RM600 million in 2025.

- A significant share of oil and gas revenues from the Commercial Cooperation Agreement (CCA) with PETRONAS, which yielded over RM3 billion in 2023.

- Foreign investments rising from RM132 million in 2023 to over RM1 billion in 2024.

- A 47% increase in foreign tourist arrivals, boosting the state’s tourism revenue.

- Progress on the Pan-Borneo Highway project, connecting major cities and rural areas.

Datuk Seri Azman Ujang, Chief Judge of the awards, highlighted Sabah’s potential in economic development and environmental sustainability. He noted the surge in foreign investment interest, with investments increasing from RM132.7 million in 2023 to RM1.07 billion in 2024. He also commended the Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park’s (KKIP) record-high occupancy rate of 90%, with 288 active investors. Additionally, Sabah achieved the highest manufacturing sector growth rate in Malaysia at 4.4% in 2023.

Azman emphasised the state’s commitment to human capital development and environmental conservation, citing that 62% of Sabah’s land (4.6 million hectares) has been declared free of logging, as part of its long-term sustainability strategies.

The official awards ceremony is scheduled for 19 July 2025 at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC), Kota Kinabalu. Chief Minister Hajiji Noor is expected to attend as an honorary guest, under the theme ‘Reimagining ASEAN’, honouring Malaysia’s role as ASEAN Chair in 2025.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor and his cabinet deserve congratulations for their exemplary leadership and dedication to Sabah’s progress.