JOHOR
BAHARU, March 10 – Iskandar Malaysia secured RM26.77 billion in new investments
last year, bringing the total cumulative committed investments amount to
RM158.3 billion since 2006. It gained 1.8 billion of new investments on 4th
quarter of 2014.
In 2013, the Iskandar Malaysia new investments were
RM25.05 billion.
Iskandar Regional Development Authority chief executive,
Datuk Ismail Ibrahim, said of the total of cumulative committed investments,
RM77.07 billion or 49 per cent, represented investments that had been realised.
He said
the figure showed that Iskandar Malaysia continued to do well despite the
challenges facing the global economy.
“It
also shows the confidence in Iskandar Malaysia, especially among local
investors, with domestic investments making up RM101.14 billion, or 64 per
cent, of the total cumulative committed investments to date,” Ismail said in a
statement here Tuesday.
From the total cumulative committed investments, 36 per
cent or RM56.99 billion was came from foreign investors.
From
January until September last year, top foreign investors were Singapore, US,
Spain, Japan and China.
With
such huge investments, Ismail said, they would bring ample business
opportunities for entrepreneurs and small and medium enterprises SME as well as
creating more jobs opportunities in Iskandar Malaysia.
In 2014
alone, a total of 651,536 jobs have been created in Johor from various sectors
in Iskandar Malaysia including manufacturing, hospitality, food and beverage,
and education, he said.
Ismail
said with the launch of the enhanced Iskandar Malaysia Comprehensive
Development Plan (CDPii) by the second quarter of this year, investors and
stakeholders may also get an insight into the outlook and opportunities in
Iskandar Malaysia as it moved into its third phase towards maturity in 2025.
“The
CDPii encompasses several aspects related to the environment, economy and
social development strategies for Iskandar Malaysia, an inclusive plan that
would benefit the communities in Iskandar region,” he said.
Source: www.star.com
