by TMR / pic by TMR FILE

JOHOR made its debut at the Expo 2020 Dubai, showcasing Johor Week at the Malaysian Pavilion during week 22 of the World Expo from Feb 27 until March 5, themed “The Southern Jewel of Malaysia”.

Johor’s participation in this world expo marks the state continuing to open its doors for investments, offering investor-friendly incentives and business-friendly Malaysian government policies.

“Johor is an ideal investment destination as it boasts of having high growth potential and rapid development which investors can leverage on as well as a sustainable economic ecosystem that support investors looking to expand or establish their business in Malaysia,” Invest Johor CEO Zarina Abdul Kadir said at the launch of Johor Week at the expo.

“Iskandar Puteri, for instance, is the largest urban integrated development in South-East Asia, comprising 9,712.5ha of signature catalytic developments aligned to Johor’s identified sectors and industries under Johor Vision 2030.

“The state also boasts of a well-developed ecosystem, with mature public-private partnerships and attractive fiscal incentives that continue to attract investors,” she added.

“Our presence at this World Expo has come at the right time and is testament to Johor’s commitment to attract a potential trade and investment value of RM500 million for the state.”

The Johor Week exhibits Johor’s best practices and core businesses as well as emerging industries which are mainly centred in the Iskandar Malaysia region.

Among the highlights during the opening of Johor Week were the announcement of strategic collaborations with investment value of more than RM 100 million.

The first collaboration was between Iskandar Investment Bhd (IIB) and DHL Asia Pacific Innovation Centre for the Drone and Robotics Zone (DRZ) Iskandar.

DHL is partnering with IIB in developing the strategy behind the DRZ Iskandar as part of its ongoing efforts to promote Iskandar’s catalytic initiatives around IR4.0.

The second collaboration was between IIB and Malaysia Digital Economy Corp (MDEC), marking the launch of MDEC Global Testbed Incentives (GTI) with IIB Ventures Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of IIB, as the grand launch partner and ecosystem partner in Johor.

The GTI is aimed to position Malaysia as an Asean digital technology hub, a funding scheme aimed at attracting foreign digital technology companies to test their solutions in the country.

The third was a document exchange of memorandum of understanding between Meraque Services Sdn Bhd, a wholly Bumiputera owned company focused on drone solutions technology services, and Al Nabooda Chulia Facilities on their expansion to South Africa.

Together, Invest Johor and IIB led 29 private corporations and two government agencies for the week-long showcase.

The state delegation will be showcasing Johor’s best in the areas of digital, logistics, real estate, infrastructure and construction services, and agriculture and food industry with highlights on DRZ Iskandar, data centres in Kulai and Iskandar Puteri, logistics hub in Port of Tanjung Pelepas, among others.