KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Western Australia Trade Centre (SWATC) yesterday announced the setting up of its website www.sabahwatrade.com to boost business-to-business and people-to-people ties between the two territories.

Its trade facilitator Hanifah Bte Abd Rasid called on local enterprises to register at www.sabahwatrade.com in order to widen their business prospects and market reach. She said the listing is free of charge.

“The target audience is not restricted to Sabah and Western Australia but includes the BIMP-EAGA region, Singapore and New Zealand” she told the New Sabah Times.

To ensure the businesses listed are bona fide before registration, prospects are required to answer a few basic questions in the website.

The website is also dedicated to Sabah industrial projects, highlighting activities by the Sabah Ministry of Industrial Development’s Department of Industrial Development and Research (DIDR).

DBKK Holdings and South West Group (of Western Australia) have interests in SWATC. The latter's website www.sabahtrade.com.au has more than 3000 hits a month on average.

"The economic drivers of Sabah and Western Australia have a lot in common which could be tapped for synergistic partnership," said Kenny Chan Kok Ming, Executive Director of DBKK Holdings.

While any type of business is welcomed to participate in www.sabahwatrade.com , it is particularly interested in five core activities of interest to Western Australia: Oil and Gas, Marine and Defence, Tourism, Education and Agriculture and Fisheries.

On the progress of SWATC, Hanifah said some business groups had expressed interest to participate in the Joint Conference on Science and technology Parks (2010 IASP-ASPA) in Perth, scheduled to be helped from November 24-26. "The Asia-pacific region's innovation hot spots – opportunities for sustainable collaboration", is the theme of the conference.

Hanifah said SWATC also helps businessmen to get connected with the right partners in Western Australia as well as get in touch with the relevant government officials. She welcomed any request for assistance in organizing business trips.

"The benefit of SWATC is that it shortens the time span in identifying the right business contacts and the relevant authorities in Western Australia for Sabah businessmen," she said.

Under the auspices of SWATC, some enterprises from Western Australia are expected to participate in the Sabah international Expo 2010 to be held from October 15-19 at 1 Borneo.

Taken From,
New Sabah Times,
By: Cheang Poh Hwa
Cheang@newsabahtimes.com.my