ADIA TO INCREASE INVESTMENTS, CREATE GREATER VALUE IN INVESTMENTS IN MALAYSIA

From Kamarul Ariffin Md Yassin

ABU DHABI, Jan 13 (Bernama) -- Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), one of the world's largest wealth funds with assets estimated to exceed US$1 trillion, is committed to continue increasing investments in Malaysia.

Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz said ADIA, which has been investing in Malaysia for a long time, also wants to focus on creating greater value to ensure the success of investments in Malaysia in various sectors, including in the transformation of Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd. (MAHB).

“As a high-impact global investor, ADIA plays an important role in the infrastructure, health, energy, and various other sectors globally.

“Its major investments at the international level include airports in the United Kingdom and France, Khalifa Port in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as well as logistics infrastructure projects in India and energy projects in the United States," he said in a statement here on Monday.

Tengku Zafrul accompanied Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on a three-day working visit to the UAE, where they held a meeting with the top leadership of ADIA based in Abu Dhabi.

He said the meeting in Abu Dhabi opened the way to strengthen strategic investment cooperation between Malaysia and the UAE.

"During this meeting, we discussed with Sheikh Hamed Zayed Al Nahyan, the managing director of ADIA, as well as other leaders such as Khalil Foulathi and Mohamed Al Ameri, who expressed a deep interest in investment opportunities in Malaysia," he said.

He said that in Malaysia, ADIA's commitment is evident through investments that are in line with the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP 2030) and the MADANI Economy framework.

"Its important contributions include a collaboration with Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) in MAHB's privatisation efforts, in addition to investing in major infrastructure projects that support the nation's sustainable growth," he added.

Tengku Zafrul said this clearly shows great confidence in the government's investor-friendly policies that will benefit the people in the long term.

"Through this strategic relationship, we continue to ensure that Malaysia remains a prime destination for high-quality investment, while strengthening economic competitiveness, creating new job opportunities, and boosting the country's economic development," he said.

Apart from ADIA, the prime minister and Tengku Zafrul also held a meeting with two other UAE sovereign wealth funds namely Masdar and Mubadala.

-- BERNAMA