adminJOHOR BAHRU: The Bumiputera Agenda Leading Unit (TERAJU) needs to intensify efforts to empower Bumiputera companies, especially in Johor, so that they remain competitive and able to seize economic opportunities resulting from the development of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ).
Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir said the support provided should not be focused solely on financing aspects, but rather should include guidance and access to large-scale business opportunities.
He said this step was important to ensure that Bumiputera entrepreneurs were able to become part of the supply and service chain in the JS-SEZ investment ecosystem.
“The potential in Johor is good and vast. Therefore, we place our hopes on TERAJU to further intensify efforts to support Bumiputera companies in this state.
“This not only involves funding, but also guidance and efforts to pave the way for them to increase the scale of their business with the goal of achieving the ability to penetrate the open stock market,” he said.
He said this when met at the TERAJU Aspiration Business Symposium 2026, here, yesterday.
Commenting on the development of the JS-SEZ, Akmal said Malaysia and Singapore continued to strengthen cooperation to optimise the potential of the economic zone, including through the preparation of a master plan scheduled to be launched at the Leaders’ Retreat.
He said the matter was among those discussed at the First Meeting of the Johor-Singapore Ministerial Cooperation Committee (JSCMC) in Singapore yesterday.
“The meeting also touched on the development of the Nexus Sedenak industrial area which has the potential to attract investments totaling RM12 billion, in addition to opening up job opportunities for the people,” he said.
Meanwhile, through the event, TERAJU channeled financing totaling RM8.56 million to nine Bumiputera entrepreneurs in Johor through two main programs, namely the Bumiputera Expansion and Catalyst Fund (BECF) and the Islamic Working Capital Financing Programme (i-WCPF).
The financing aims to strengthen business capabilities and open up more opportunities for Bumiputera companies to participate in the JS-SEZ value chain.
The symposium, themed Johor: Leading Transformation, Driving Growth, also brought together entrepreneurs, financial institutions, industry partners and federal and state agencies to explore business opportunities and strengthen the participation of Bumiputera companies in the JS-SEZ ecosystem.
-Agency
