Iskandar Malaysia recorded RM9.33 billion committed investments for Q1 2018.
19 April, ISKANDAR MALAYSIA – Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) today announced that Iskandar Malaysia (IM) had recorded committed investments of RM9.33 billion in Q1 of 2018, bringing the total cumulative committed investments to RM262.43 billion from 2006 until 31 March 2018.
Of this total, 59% or RM153.54 billion represent investments that have been realized.
To date, local investors had contributed RM160 billion (61%) to the total cumulative committed investments while the balance RM102 billion (39%) were contributed by foreign investors. The top five countries with highest cumulative committed investments into IM from 2006 to March 2018 are China, Singapore, US, Japan and the EU.
Datuk Ismail Ibrahim, Chief Executive of IRDA said that this reflects continuous investor confidence in IM as it moves towards its long-term development objectives. This is also evidence by the many visits to IM by various international parties.
Just today, IRDA received a visit by Frédéric Laplanche, Ambassador of France to Malaysia with his entourage, which included senior representatives from various French companies, who are here to exchange experience and ideas related to the Smart City agenda.
Earlier this month, IRDA also received a visit by H.E Bai Tian, Ambassador of People’s Republic of China to Malaysia and his delegations and this time around, the purpose of the visit was to explore business and investment potential in Iskandar Malaysia.
“Visits such as these provide us with the opportunity to further highlight IM’s many strengths and opportunities and also act as a platform to strengthen relationship and exchange knowledge with other international parties and global players, in line with the region’s vision to become the preferred destination to invest, work, live and play,” said Datuk Ismail Ibrahim.
Promoted sectors in Iskandar Malaysia
Manufacturing : RM 62.06 billion
Logistics : RM 6.69 billion
Healthcare : RM 4.11 billion
Tourism : RM 6.69 billion
Education : RM 2.76 billion
Creative : RM 0.59 billion
Financial Services : RM 2.09 billion
Supporting sectors
Residential properties : RM 48.86 billion
Utilities : RM 12.97 billion
Retail properties : RM 80.64 billion
Industrial properties : RM 20.92 billion
Emerging Technologies : RM 2.94 billion
Government (Infrastructure) : RM 10.67 billion
These investments continue to benefit the Rakyat of Johor and Malaysia with ample business opportunities for entrepreneurs and SMEs as well as the creation of more jobs. From 2007 to March 2018, a total of 746,457 jobs have been created in Johor and most of these came from the various sectors in Iskandar Malaysia including manufacturing, hospitality, food & beverage, and education.
“IM will also continue to focus on strengthening its soft and hard infrastructure with state-of-the-art facilities provided to the investors whilst at the same time benefiting the Rakyat,” said Datuk Ismail
In line with this, the public transportation system for this region will be enhanced by providing efficient and accessible public transport. IM will embark on the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system to accommodate the targeted increase in population of up to 3.0 million by 2025. The first phase of BRT will be ready by 2021.
Another important infrastructure enabler is connectivity and this will also be the focus in the third development phase as IM needs a smart ICT infrastructure to remain attractive to new and existing investors whilst at the same time providing convenience to the people of IM in as many ways possible.
IM is also poised to be the preferred regional logistics hub. Port of IM is one of the 5 Big Moves of Iskandar Malaysia Comprehensive Development Plan 2014 – 2025 (CDPii). IRDA envisions to position IM as a world-class dynamic logistics and maritime hub in ASEAN and Asia-Pacific.
Datuk Ismail added that for IM, the next seven years is not only about attracting new investments, but the investments must be inclusive in order for the local communities, businesses and talents to participate and reap benefits from the wealth generated from economic activities. With all these elements in place, the region will, in no time, achieve its vision of becoming a Strong and Sustainable Metropolis of International Standing.