{
  "id": 14382073,
  "title": "Sabah targets wider economic benefits from oil and gas",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/14/sabah-targets-wider-economic-benefits-from-oil-and-gas",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-14T06:09:26.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2026/10/1555241/sabah-targets-wider-economic-benefits-oil-and-gas"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor announced that Sabah aims to expand the economic impact of its oil and gas sector beyond mere exploration and production. During the signing of agreements for the Sabah Oil and Gas Terminal (SOGT) and Sabah-Sarawak Gas Pipeline (SSGP) projects, he emphasized the potential for wider economic benefits. Deputy Chief Minister and State Industrial Development Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick also spoke, highlighting recent discoveries as promising for the industry's growth. The strategic positioning of SOGT and SSGP along the Kimanis-Sipitang corridor is seen as a way to boost economic development in the region. Hajiji stressed Sabah's interest in increasing local involvement in the oil and gas value chain. This push seeks to empower state-owned companies to progress from merely providing support services to acquiring higher-value roles, thereby enhancing their technical, managerial, technological, and financial capabilities.",
  "summary": "KOTA KINABALU: Sabah wants its oil and gas industry to generate greater economic value and long-term benefits beyond exploration and production, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.",
  "key_points": [
    "Sabah seeks broader economic gains from oil and gas sector.",
    "SOGT and SSGP projects to boost region's economic development.",
    "Local companies aim to take higher-value roles in value chain."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Moving beyond simple extraction to high-value roles allows Sabah to transform its state-owned companies from service providers into sophisticated industrial players capable of driving regional economic development.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}