The Regional Corridor Development Authority (RECODA) joined other economic corridor authorities in an online sharing session today with newly appointed Senior Deputy Secretary-General (TKSUK) of the Prime Minister’s Department, Dato’ Jamil Rakon.
Jamil, 59, who was previously the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Human Resources, hosted a video call with CEOs of authorities that manage five of the country’s economic corridors, namely: the East Coast Economic Region (ECER), the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER), Iskandar Malaysia (IM), the Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) and the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE), which is managed by RECODA.
RECODA CEO Datu Ismawi Ismuni briefly described the state statutory body’s evolving roles, which now include the implementation of not only Federal projects, but also state-funded infrastructure and socio-economic development projects.
These projects are high-impact and strategic in nature in order to accelerate economic growth and bridge the income divide between the urban and rural residents, Ismawi said.
And by laying down infrastructure facilities and providing amenities, investor interest could then be drawn into the state, he added.
One recent development initiative is the establishment of the three development agencies under the leadership of Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Abang Openg, namely the Upper Rajang Development Agency (URDA), the Highland Development Agency (HDA) and the Northern Region Development Agency (NRDA). Since 2019, these agencies have been allotted RM4.5 billion to carry out development projects in the central, highland and northern region of Sarawak.
To take on the expanded roles, Ismawi said RECODA has also undergone a corporate restructuring exercise since last year.