NCER sets RM470 billion investment target for 2030, pledges jobs and income growth
The Northern Corridor Economic Region announced a plan to draw RM470 billion in cumulative investment by 2030, with most of it coming from electronics, automotive, high-value tourism and modern agriculture.
At a media briefing in Putrajaya, Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir launched the NCER 2026-2030 Strategic Development Plan, which sets a cumulative investment goal of RM470 billion by the end of the decade. This figure exceeds the earlier RM343.8 billion target by RM126.2 billion and is expected to be driven largely by four priority sectors: electrical and electronics, automotive, high-value tourism and modern agriculture.
The plan also targets a regional GDP of RM369 billion, the creation of 310,000 quality jobs with 45 percent classified as high-skilled, and an increase in median household income to RM7,500. The minister described the initiative as a concrete step to translate the 13th Malaysia Plan into regional action and to position the north as a hub for high-value industrial investment and innovation.
Why it matters
The plan could reshape Malaysia's northern economy by attracting massive investment, boosting jobs and raising living standards.
How the sides frame it
HIGH AGREEMENTBoth camps report the same investment target, job creation and income goals, but the right-leaning coverage adds detail about a technology innovation centre and inter-agency coordination.
CENTER
Reports the investment target and job/income goals as a concrete step to implement the national plan.
RIGHT
Highlights the strategic plan’s emphasis on coordination, talent development and a technology innovation centre.
The right emphasises
- investment driven by four priority sectors accounting for about 70 % of the target
- technology innovation centre to nurture 8,000 skilled individuals
- coordination across ministries and agencies linking investment with talent, technology and local supply chains
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