VANCOUVER – Sarawak has taken another step towards strengthening international collaboration in sustainable resource development, following a visit by a delegation from the Ministry of Urban Development and Natural Resources (MUDeNR) and the Centre for Technology Excellence Sarawak (CENTEXS) to the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada.
The visit culminated in the signing of a Statement of Cooperation (SoC) between UBC, MUDeNR and CENTEXS, marking a milestone in Sarawak’s efforts to advance talent development, research, and innovation in the green mining and quarrying sector.
The partnership covers a wide range of initiatives, including professional certification for post-degree training programmes in mining and quarrying, undergraduate and postgraduate studies in geology and mining, as well as joint research and development in mineral resources.
Areas of collaboration also extend to sustainable mineral development, workforce training, and consultancy in advanced technologies such as satellite and UAV applications, remote sensing, green AI, robotics, intelligent automation, and policy frameworks for environmentally responsible mining.
This development builds on earlier engagement led by Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, who visited UBC’s Bradshaw Research Institute for Minerals and Mining (BRIMM) in June 2024.
The Sarawak delegation was headed by Dato Syeed Mohd Hussein Wan Abdul Rahman, Chief Executive Officer of CENTEXS, who met with UBC’s leadership team to reaffirm Sarawak’s commitment to building a sustainable and responsible mining sector.
The discussions emphasised training, talent development, and institutional frameworks to support long-term growth.
To address workforce needs, CENTEXS and MUDeNR have already initiated programmes under the Mineral Industry Talent Development and Workforce agenda.
A workshop held earlier this year brought together 127 participants from 51 mining and quarrying companies, alongside representatives from the Sarawak Quarries Association (SQA), Jabatan Mineral Geosains Malaysia (JMG) Sarawak, the Institute of Quarrying Malaysia (IQM), the Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent Development (MEITD), government agencies, and private firms.
Further initiatives include the upcoming Mineral Industry Talent Development and Workforce Workshop and the launch of the Green Mining and Quarrying Academy at CENTEXS in Sarawak on 10–11 December 2025.
Looking ahead, a tripartite Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between UBC, MUDeNR and CENTEXS is scheduled to be signed in February 2026.
The delegation also toured UBC’s campus and engaged with its academic ecosystem, reaffirming both parties’ commitment to professional certification, degree programmes, joint projects, and knowledge exchange.
These efforts align with Sarawak’s Post-COVID Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030, which prioritises international partnerships and sustainable innovation to strengthen the state’s competitiveness in the global economy.
