EWON WANTS SABAH ENTREPRENEURS TO BENEFIT FROM MSME HUB

PENAMPANG, May 3 (Bernama) -- Minister of Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Datuk Ewon Benedick wants Sabah entrepreneurs to take full advantage of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) Hub here to access the latest information on entrepreneurship so that they are always aware of opportunities to further expand their business potential.

Ewon said the MSME Hub would function as a one-stop centre for entrepreneurs to obtain accurate, fast and comprehensive information on the field of entrepreneurship, including knowledge on starting a business, best practices, access to markets, human capital development, financial resources and the latest industry developments.

He said the Sabah business community and potential entrepreneurs could also get advice from officers on duty and information on entrepreneurship programmes offered by the government, in addition to there being a space provided for micro-enterprises to showcase their products and services.

“This Sabah MSME Hub is the first in East Malaysia. So far, the MSME Hub has only been at the SME Corp Malaysia headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. We also plan to open a MSME Hub in Sarawak.

“After being appointed to lead this ministry, I see the need to give additional focus to the development of entrepreneurship and cooperatives in East Malaysia, namely Sabah and Sarawak, because these two states must not be left behind in the agenda to ensure that the scale of businesses can be expanded,” he told reporters after officiating at the Sabah MSME Hub here today.

Ewon also targeted about 10,000 Sabah entrepreneurs to visit the MSME Hub per year and the target was set based on the number of visits recorded by the SME Corp’s MSME Hub in Kuala Lumpur.

Last year, a total of 10,035 micro, small and medium entrepreneurs physically visited the SME Corp’s MSME Hub, while 2,607 MSME entrepreneurs visited the centre from January to March this year, he said.

Meanwhile, SME Corp Malaysia chief executive officer Rizal Nainy said MSMEs remained the backbone of the country's economy, comprising 96.9 per cent or 1.1 million of the total businesses in Malaysia.

He said that as the largest entity in the business community, the contribution of MSMEs to the Gross Domestic Product, exports, employment and productivity should be enhanced.

“SME Corp Malaysia remains committed to intensifying efforts to empower MSMEs, including by improving access to information for MSMEs such as through the MSME Hub initiative,” he said.

He said the agency had assisted more than 9,100 MSMEs in Sabah through the 12th Malaysia Plan.

During the event, Ewon also presented cheques totalling RM841,099.97 to 15 recipients of the Bumiputera Enterprise Improvement Programme in Sabah as well as the Best Participant Award and Best Business Plan for the Bumiputera Youth Entrepreneurs Programme 11 for the state.

-- BERNAMA