The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) is the principal promotion agency under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) to oversee and drive investments into the manufacturing and services sectors in Malaysia. MIDA acts as the first point of contact for those seeking to invest in the country.
Incorporated as a statutory body under the Malaysian Industrial Development Authority Act, the establishment of MIDA in 1967 was hailed by the World Bank as "the necessary impetus for purposeful, positive and coordinated promotional action" for Malaysia's industrial development. Since then, MIDA has been at the center of industrial development in the country. It specializes in the promotion of industrialization — mapping out the appropriate strategies, coordinating the activities of the relevant organizations in the public sector and promoting Malaysia to industrialists at home and abroad.
Extending facilitation to investors for the realization and operation of their projects forms an integral part of MIDA's function other than undertaking planning, promotion and assessment of license applications and incentives for companies to set their bases in Malaysia. MIDA handholds investors right from their initial inquiries until the realization of their projects, as well as assists them to solve issues affecting their company's operations in the country.