ALOR STAR: The Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) attracted RM15.26 billion in investments and added 1,700 job opportunities in Kedah during the first seven months of this year.
Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) chief executive Mohamad Haris Kader Sultan said the figure significantly surpasses the RM5.43 billion in investments realised during the same period last year.
He said this was made possible through the collaboration of the NCIA, the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), and the Kedah government.
"This strong performance is evidence of the effectiveness of the NCER Strategic Development Plan, and NCIA is confident that the overall performance this year will surpass Kedah's 2023 performance.
"This year, NCIA also introduced the FaCi@NCER initiative to expedite the investment realisation process in the NCER by connecting various stakeholders through a comprehensive approval chain process," he said in a statement today.
Haris said the announcement of NCER's investment performance in Kedah was made during the State Steering Committee meeting chaired by Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor.
Following the meeting, Sanusi officiated the NCIA's Kedah Medical Device Ecosystem Appreciation Ceremony, recognising the contributions of industry players, including Richter Rubber, KHTP Sterilisation, Diptech Industries, and Ideal Care.
Haris said the medical device industry is a crucial component of the high-value manufacturing sector, which has seen significant growth in Kedah, particularly in Kulim High Technology Park (KHTP) and the industrial areas surrounding Sungai Petani.
"Since 2019, NCIA has successfully garnered RM34.8 billion, creating over 16,000 job opportunities in the high-value manufacturing sector in Kedah. Of this amount, RM1.56 billion was contributed by the medical device industry, generating more than 1,600 skilled and semi-skilled job opportunities," he added.
Haris said Kedah is poised to become a preferred medical device manufacturing hub, not only locally, but also globally in future, under the NCER strategic development plan.