Tuesday, March 30, 2010Malaysia pushing for more Middle East construction projects DUBAI: Malaysian contractors are currently working on 51 projects worth US$10bil in the Middle East and are eyeing for more amid a projected upswing in construction demand.
The majority of projects are in United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Syria, Iran, Jordan and Yemen, the Malaysia External Trade Development Corp (Matrade) said in a statement yesterday. In value terms, the Middle East contributed the highest share of 42% among the 614 overseas projects worth US$24bil in which Malaysian contractors have been involved from 1997 to 2009.
Datuk Noharuddin Nordin ... ‘Malaysian expertise in infrastructure building has been deployed in 73 projects across the Middle East.’“Malaysian expertise in infrastructure building has been deployed in 73 projects across the Middle East, including landmark initiatives such as Burj Khalifa, Al Reem Island, Dubai Metro, Dubai Mall and Meydan Race Course,” Matrade chief executive officer Datuk Noharuddin Nordin said in the statement.
Construction companies in Malaysia foresee substantially improved demand from the Middle East as infrastructure outlay continued to top national budgets, it said.
Matrade cited a Business Monitor International study forecasting that the global construction industry could grow between 1% and more than 5% up to 2014.
The projected increase was on account of growth expectations in the Middle East, North Africa, China and India.
Matrade said Malaysian construction companies, which already have an international project portfolio of US$15bil, were aiming to lead the revival in key markets.
To seek further inroads in the Middle East, the Malaysian construction sector will attend the third Malaysia Services Exhibition (MSE) 2010 to be held at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre from April 13 to 15.
“The unique advantages we offer in terms of resources, skills, quality, cost and experience in mega projects give us a competitive edge over leading providers in the United States, Europe and other Asian countries,” Noharuddin said.
Organised by Matrade, MSE 2010 will showcase the world-class capabilities of Malaysian companies specialising in eight service clusters: professional services, oil and gas, construction, information and communications technology, healthcare, franchising, education and specialised training, and financial services.
The three-day exhibition will be attended by 150 establishments including 130 service providers, 12 professional associations and eight government agencies.
A major addition to Malaysia’s construction services portfolio at MSE 2010 will be environmentally friendly architecture and engineering.
By Bernama 
Fri May 04, 2012 4:59 pm by demin
Subject: Malaysia pushing for more Middle East construction projects 
