Iskandar: M'sia chalks up RM129.42b in investment

Iskandar Malaysia recorded cumulative total investments of RM129.42 billion from 2006 to October this year, said Johor Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin (pic). Khaled, who is also Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) co-chairman, said of the total, 44 percent or RM56.32 billion represented investments that had been realised. "To date, local investors have contributed RM84.61 billion (65 percent) to the committed investments, with the balance of RM44.81 billion coming from overseas," he added. He was speaking at a news conference following the launch of Iskandar Malaysia's, Implementation of Low Carbon Initiative and Tourist Mobile App, by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at the Parliament building here Wednesday. Mohamed Khaled said manufacturing (including electrical and electronics, petrochemical and oleo-chemical and food and agro-progressing), recorded the highest cumulative committed investments at RM45.6 billion. This was followed by logistics at RM4.81 billion, tourism (RM2.5 billion), healthcare (RM2.59 billion), education (RM.156 billion), financial services (RM0.6 billion) and creative industries (RM0.4 billion). He added that the property sector also contributed to the development of Iskandar Malaysia, with the residential, retail and industrial segments collectively contributing cumulative investments of RM49.31 billion as of Oct 31, followed by utilities at RM12.64 billion. Government investments, mainly in the infrastructure and public works and emerging technologies contributed RM8.31 billion and RM1.03 billion respectively to total investments.