In conversation with: Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) chief executive Datuk Mohamad Haris Kader Sultan

This article first appeared in the Industrial Special Report in November 2025.

What are the realised investments for Kedah as of 2025, and how many jobs have been created? What human capital targets is NCER working towards for 2030?

As of September 2025, the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) has realised RM58.39 billion in investments across the region, creating nearly 16,000 job opportunities. Kedah accounts for RM14.94 billion of these realised investments, generating 2,566 jobs to date.

This is largely driven by industrial and high-tech manufacturing developments.

Looking towards 2030, NCER aims to supply a competitive, future-ready workforce through initiatives such as the NCER Technology and Innovation Centre (NTIC), Advanced Technology & Meister Programme (ATMP), and ongoing TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) programmes. Upcoming nodes like Kedah Rubber City (KRC), and Kedah Science and Technology Park (KSTP) also carry explicit job-creation and talent-development targets to underpin the state’s semiconductor and advanced manufacturing ecosystem.

With strong semiconductor and E&E investments flowing into Penang, and Kulim, how is NCER ensuring there is adequate and affordable housing for engineers, technicians, and industrial workers?

NCER works closely with the Kedah state government to build a holistic ecosystem that supports both industrial expansion, and liveability. This means planning beyond utilities and infrastructure to include the social base needed to anchor high-skill talent.

NCER collaborates with state agencies, and developers to ensure housing supply keeps pace with demand.

This includes exploring mixed-income models, strategic land allocation, and affordability mechanisms, so communities are not priced out as investment accelerates. The goal is to balance economic gains, such as job creation, higher incomes, and local spending, with preserving liveability for the existing Kedah community.

NCER also works with local councils and the Town and Country Planning Department (PLANMalaysia) to embed housing needs into long-term spatial frameworks such as the Rancangan Struktur Negeri (RSN), and relevant Rancangan Tempatan (RT), aligning residential planning with the rapid growth around Kulim Hi-Tech Park.

How is NCER working with state authorities and developers to ensure communities remain liveable and are not priced out by industrial acceleration?

NCER’s role is to ensure growth benefits are widely shared. Through coordinated planning with state governments, NCER supports mechanisms for mixed-income neighbourhoods, land banking, and infrastructure cost management, so housing around major industrial nodes remains accessible.

This ensures that besides the incoming industrial workers, long-time Kedah communities also stand to benefit from improved job prospects, public amenities, and rising economic activity.

What community infrastructure—schools, healthcare, transit, recreation—is being planned alongside industrial expansion in Kulim Hi-Tech Park and nearby growth nodes?

NCER’s strategy is to build complete, well-serviced communities alongside its industrial clusters, ensuring that Kulim’s rapid growth remains liveable for the people who work there. Major regional connectivity upgrades, including improvements to Penang Port, the expansion of Penang International Airport, and the upcoming Mutiara Line Light Rail Transit (LRT), will strengthen industrial logistics while giving residents in Kulim, and surrounding towns better mobility, and access to jobs.

At the same time, NCER is prioritising human capital through programmes such as the ATMP, the Advanced Packaging Institute and Research Centre (APIRC), and expanded TVET pathways, all designed to supply semiconductor and advanced manufacturing industries with future-ready talent.

Quality of life is also a key focus: NCER is enhancing recreational and cultural assets across the northern region, from eco-tourism developments to geo-tourism initiatives such as Jerai National Geopark, ensuring that, as the region industrialises, it also becomes a more attractive and well-rounded place to live.

(This interview response has been edited for brevity and clarity.)

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