ISKANDAR PUTERI: There should be more emphasis on attracting quality investments to the state, says the Mentri Besar.

Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said it cannot be “business as usual” despite the RM60.9bil in investments brought in by the state government from January to June.

“A consistent economic growth of 7% has to be maintained to make Johor a developed state by 2030. As such, we need quality investors in sectors such as oil and gas, petrochemical, data centres, electrical and electronics, while also expanding the food industry,” he told the one-day state assembly sitting at Kota Iskandar here yesterday.

He was replying to Anuar Manap (BN-Pemanis), Azizul Bachok (BN-Tiram), Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad (BN-Benut), Selamat Takim (BN-Sungai Balang) and Hasrunizah Hassan (BN-Pulai Sebatang) on the state’s investment efforts.

Onn Hafiz said the state government wanted to diversify high-technology investments, adding that most investments recorded by Johor were brought in through data centres.

He said this could help to retain such investments by matching potential clients with the data centres, he said, adding that the state government also welcomed investors in research and development to improve the local industries.

He cited an example in which the data centres could collaborate with local universities to exchange information, and as a result of this, higher learning institutions can also determine the industry’s needs for better job matching in the future.

To continue attracting high-quality investments, Onn Hafiz said Invest Johor would be empowered as the main state agency responsible for wooing both foreign and domestic investors.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2022/09/23/focus-on-quality-investments-johor------------exco-told