KUCHING, June 20 — Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg today said he is confident that Sarawak will be a developed state with a thriving economy driven by data and innovation where everyone enjoys economic prosperity, social inclusivity and a sustainable environment, by the year 2030.

He said the state government will focus on not only growing the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) but also ensure the growth is translated to every Sarawakian.

"We want to significantly increase the average household income from the current RM5,000 to RM16,000 per month by 2030, which will put Sarawak ahead of Malaysia as a whole,” he said when opening the International Digital Economic Conference Sarawak 2022 (IDECS 2022) here.

He said the distribution of wealth to the community must be equitable for both urban and rural settings.

"We must not forget the vulnerable segments of our society, including B40, M40 and the rest. Our Post-Covid-19 Development Strategy 2030 (PCDS 2030) initiatives will support financial sustainability for the poor,” he said.

Abang Johari said the state government is now restructuring and diversifying the state’s economy into a high-value downstream industry while creating a thriving society.

"Advancing digital transformation is key towards improving productivity and efficiency. We need to fully embrace digital transformation to maximise the economic value in the global business environment that is dynamic and volatile,” he said.

He said the PCDS 2030 is not only about economic growth, but it is also about cascading the wealth and prosperity equitably and maintaining environmental sustainability for all the people of Sarawak.

He said the state needs to achieve an economic growth rate of between 6 and 8 per cent annually to double the size of its economy to RM282 billion to become a high-income and advanced state by 2030.

He said among the economic sectors that will be the primary growth engines for Sarawak include commercial agriculture based on smart and precision farming, transforming the manufacturing sector to adopt Industry 4.0 and focusing on reforestation to reduce the impact on climate change.

He pledged that the state government will help the private sectors grow their respective industries and expect the private sector to respond by investing and doing more in the sectors that are the state’s focus.