Mida seeks coordinated push to attract investment to Borneo
The agency wants Invest Borneo to connect industries across borders and put greater emphasis on turning approvals into projects.
The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida) has called for an Invest Borneo strategy that links complementary industries, makes cross-border business easier and gives priority to implementing approved investments.
At the Borneo Business Roundtable 2026, Mida chairman Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz said differing national regulations, incentives and investment agencies had left investors facing separate pitches rather than a clear view of the island’s connected opportunities.
He highlighted the gap between Borneo’s resources and its investment share. Of Malaysia’s RM426.7 billion in investment approvals for 2025, less than 7% went to Sabah and Sarawak combined, although they make up about 60% of the country’s land area.
Sarawak secured approvals worth RM10.8 billion during the first half of 2026, compared with Sabah’s RM6.8 billion, he said. He also cited Malaysia-Brunei trade of RM5.86 billion for 2025 as an area with scope for expansion.
Tengku Zafrul said the strategy could draw on renewable energy in Sarawak and Sabah’s agriculture, tourism, and oil and gas industries. Brunei’s contributions include methanol, fertiliser, Islamic finance and halal products, while Kalimantan offers opportunities associated with Nusantara and access to the Indonesian domestic market.
He said Mida’s Kuching and Kota Kinabalu offices were prepared to help advance Invest Borneo with Indonesian counterparts, Invest Sabah, Invest Sarawak, the Brunei Economic Development Board and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP).
