Sabah and Italy Strengthen Bilateral Cooperation

Sabah is looking to strengthen bilateral cooperation with Italy, particularly in exploring investment opportunities in the oil and gas, tourism and higher education sectors.

“We welcome the interest of the Italian government and business community in exploring further business opportunities in Sabah,” said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor after receiving a courtesy call from Italian Ambassador to Malaysia Raffaele Langella on 26 October 2026 at Menara Kinabalu.

Langella said Italy has a strong interest in exploring investment opportunities in Sabah, adding that support in identifying potential investments could help Italian businesses establish a stronger presence in the state. “The interest in Italy is huge. They know there are many opportunities to explore in Sabah. However, they need assistance, particularly in identifying investment prospects, and I discussed with the Chief Minister how we could move forward,” he said.

With Visit Sabah Year 2027 approaching, Langella said Italy was also keen to support efforts to promote Sabah as a tourism destination.

He added that higher education was another promising area for collaboration, particularly through partnerships between Italian and Sabah universities. “University cooperation is a very interesting and promising field. Italian universities are becoming increasingly competitive and are keen to expand their activities in this part of the world, particularly in Sabah,” he said.

Langella expressed hope that the meeting would pave the way for closer bilateral relations and lead to meaningful outcomes in the future.