Kuala lumpur: A total of RM7.88 billion in green investments was generated in 2024 through various initiatives implemented by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES).
According to BERNAMA News Agency, these initiatives include the Green Investment Tax Allowance (GITA), the Green Technology Financing Scheme (GTFS) 4.0, and the International Greentech and Eco Products Exhibition and Conference Malaysia (IGEM). Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, also serving as the acting Minister of NRES, stated that these initiatives contributed to the creation of more than 2,000 green jobs in 2024. Cumulatively, the sector has created nearly 34,000 jobs to date.
He explained that the RM7.88 billion figure includes contributions from GITA, GTFS 4.0, and IGEM. “This contribution includes investment commitments secured through the IGEM series since 2020, which has successfully generated over RM10 billion in potential green investments to date,” he mentioned during a question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat.
Johari was addressing a supplementary question from Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar (PN-Kemaman), who inquired about achievements related to green investment targets, the number of green job opportunities under the NRES Strategic Plan 2024-2030, and the main challenges in meeting these goals. He stated that the achievement aligns with the strategic plan’s targets, which focus on green economic development, renewable energy, and the transition towards a low-carbon industry.
In response to Ahmad Samsuri’s additional question on inter-ministerial collaboration to ensure the reported achievements are not merely based on impressive figures, Johari acknowledged the presence of several major challenges. These challenges include limited access to financing for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and a shortage of skilled labour in the local green technology sector. He emphasized that access to financing is a concern, noting that while the government can fund small-scale projects, large-scale initiatives must demonstrate economic value to attract local or substantial financing from banks.