adminPUTRAJAYA: Iskandar Malaysia has recorded cumulative investments of RM525.26 billion since its establishment 20 years ago and is now focusing on high-value investments and strengthening the regional economic ecosystem.
The Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) announced in a statement today that the total investment exceeded the original target of RM383 billion, with development in the region also creating more than a million jobs and increasing average household income more than double during the period.
“For the next phase of development, emphasis will be placed on increasing productivity and high-value economic activities, including advanced manufacturing, digital and data-based industries, logistics, and financial and business services.”
“The effort aims to ensure that the benefits of investment can be sustained in the local economy through domestic supply chains, technology transfer, innovation and strengthening of Malaysian enterprises,” IRDA informed.
In the same statement, Deputy Prime Minister II and Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) provides an important opportunity to deepen regional economic integration and attract high-value investments.
JS-SEZ recorded approved investments of RM76.98 billion in 2025, thus strengthening Johor’s potential as a complementary economic partner to Singapore.
“The next phase needs to be evaluated not only based on the amount of investment successfully attracted, but also in terms of the quality of opportunities created, the strength of the economic ecosystem and the long-term benefits that can be enjoyed by businesses and society,” he said.
Earlier, Fadillah chaired the 36th IRDA Meeting on behalf of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, together with Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi.
Meanwhile, IRDA informed that the increasingly complex competition to attract investment in ASEAN means that cost and land availability factors alone are no longer sufficient to guarantee the competitiveness of a region.
According to him, investors are now also assessing the availability of infrastructure, security of energy supply, skilled workforce, digital connectivity, efficiency of movement of goods and people, and access to regional markets.
“In that context, Johor has the opportunity to combine advantages in terms of land, industrial capacity, talent and costs with Singapore’s strengths in terms of capital, technology, business services and access to international markets.”
“However, realising the potential of the JS-SEZ requires coordination in infrastructure development, energy supply, talent development, customs and immigration matters, and cross-border connectivity,” IRDA noted.
According to him, cooperation between the Federal Government, state governments, industry and stakeholders is needed to ensure that the JS-SEZ develops as a regional economic platform that can strengthen Johor’s position in the global value chain.
— BERNAMA
