SARAWAK attracted RM105.9 billion in total investment between 2021 and the third quarter of 2025, the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) was told today.
Deputy International Trade, Industry and Investment Minister Datuk Dr Malcolm Mussen Lamoh said domestic investment accounted for RM68.4 billion or 64.5 per cent of the total, while foreign investment contributed RM37.5 billion or 35.5 per cent.
He said the approved investments were recorded across three sectors — RM47.3 billion in the primary sector, RM31.3 billion in the manufacturing sector and RM27.3 billion in the services sector.
“These investments created more than 25,000 potential employment opportunities, with over 21,000 generated in the manufacturing sector.
“During this period, manufacturing investments were primarily channelled into the electrical and electronics (E&E) and chemical industries,” he said when delivering his winding-up speech.
Malcolm said Sarawak had strengthened its position as a competitive hub for high-value E&E manufacturing, drawing multinational corporations from Japan, South Korea, China, Belgium and Germany to the Sama Jaya Free Industrial Zone.
He said these companies generated economic spin-offs valued at RM35 billion in exports, RM4 billion to the local economy through utilities and services, and RM3 billion in salaries between 2021 and 2024.
“From 2021, Sarawak approved more than RM13 billion in investment for E&E expansion projects, despite global economic challenges,” he said.
On energy-intensive industries, he said the polycrystalline silicon sector recorded private investment worth RM1.9 billion this year for diversification into semiconductor-grade polysilicon.
Malcolm added that Sarawak’s trade performance between 2021 and 2025 reflected fluctuations driven largely by global commodity price trends, with energy exports remaining the main contributors to total export earnings.
He said crude petroleum and condensates peaked in 2022 at RM25.1 billion, while natural gas also recorded sharp increases in 2022 and 2023.
He added that ferro-alloys and related iron and steel products continued to register multi-billion-ringgit export values.
“Semiconductor devices and electronic components also showed dynamic growth, rising from RM2.96 billion in 2021 to RM5.71 billion in 2023, indicating a successful shift into higher-value manufacturing,” he said.
