Mining is an economic sector with a long history in the region, dating back over 100 years.

Moving forward, efforts will be channelled to ensure that mining activities are carried out in a sustainable manner throughout NCER. To achieve this, new potential mining areas will be identified with greater accuracy for better development planning. For this purpose, NCIA is embarking on a geophysical airborne survey of the region, to be led by the Minerals and Geoscience Department of Malaysia and supported by NCIA.

Besides sustainability, mining activities in the region will also focus on value-added aspects of the industry that go beyond extracting raw minerals. These will involve integration of the entire upstream, midstream and downstream activities, and will be carried out within NCER to benefit the local economy.