Coming Thursday, June 12, will see a high-profile event in Kuching, the capital of Malaysia’s largest state Sarawak, focusing on investment opportunities in a number of fields, namely halal, infrastructure, finance and energy. The event, organised by Inside Investor, will also see the presentation of a brand new investment report on Sarawak, called Inside Sarawak 2013.
A strong delegation from Qatar is expected at the conference, including representatives of the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and industry, as well as top officials of Masaf Al Rayan bank.
The event is being held under the patronage of the Right Honourable Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud, Chief Minister of Sarawak, who will also hold a keynote speech, as well as Associate Professor Dr Winai Dahlan, founder and director of the Halal Science Institute in Bangkok, Thailand.
One special focus of the event lies on Sarawak’s latest development project in the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (Score), the Tanjung Manis Halal Hub. Tanjung Manis is of particular interest for investors into the halal food industry as it has been set up to serve as the region’s halal hub. Investors and halal park operators qualify for incentives given by the Halal Development Corp to assist existing and potential industry players. The industry park is planned to be developed in three phases up to 2020. Upon completion, Tanjung Manis Halal Hub aims to be the largest and most advanced integrated halal hub in the world, not just for halal food but for a great number of other halal products and services. Earlier Qatar delegations have repeatedly expressed interest in the development of the halal hub.
Other investment opportunities in the state comprise infrastructure and energy, especially in the fields of public-private partnerships (PPP), which are being pushed by the government.
Sarawak’s economy has seen a significant upswing over the past years, with direct investment topping $1bn in January and February 2013 alone. The state’s economy is being pushed by development of Score, where most of the foreign investors are setting up shop, especially in the fastest growing node, the Samalaju Industral Park.
The state has also recently improved its air connectivity, making it easier to reach industry hubs and increasing tourism numbers. The state government also continues to invest heavily in on-going improvements of basic rural infrastructure and utilities.
Among the 13 states of the Malaysian Federation, Sarawak has one of the strongest economies and is the only state to have an A-rating from Standard & Poors. Under the Tenth Malaysia Plan (2011-2015), $7.3bn has been pledged towards the development of Sarawak. This, together with Score, the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) and the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), means that the investment environment is truly favourable.
For a detailed agenda please see http://events.insideinvestor.com/is2013/index
lOur columnist Dr Arno Maierbrugger is Editor-in-Chief of www.investvine.com, a news portal owned by Inside Investor focusing on Southeast Asian economic topics as well as trade and investment relations between Asean and the GCC. The views expressed are his own.
