THE Sarawak Entrepreneur Development Coordination Committee (SEDCC) has given its approval to two entrepreneurship development initiatives aimed at supporting small and medium entrepreneurs (SMEs).
The Ministry of International Trade, Industry and Investment, led by Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, will oversee the implementation of these initiatives, namely the Review of Business Registration Process in Sarawak and the development of a Micro, Small, and Medium Entrepreneurs (MSME) Database System, both to be completed within the year.
Speaking during the final day of the DUN session, he highlighted the importance of these initiatives in improving the ease of doing business in Sarawak, particularly for local SMEs.
“On March 7 this year, I chaired the SEDCC meeting where the Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperative Malaysia also attended.
“The presence of the minister shows strong commitment from the federal government to working closely with us for the benefit of our local SMEs.
“Other than that, capacity building is important for SMEs to grow and become more agile in rapidly changing business environment.
“To strengthen the entrepreneurial competencies of SMEs, my ministry has implemented various programmes and activities.”
These include the Digital Entrepreneurship Programme (Shopee Mall, Digital Marketing, etc), Basic Entrepreneurship Programme (Basic Accounting and Business Courses), Technical Entrepreneurship Programme (Food Processing Courses, Hairdressing Courses, Sewing Technology Courses), Food Handling Courses, Jum Regista programme, and product promotion at international and national expos, as well as through town showcases and mass media promotion.
“Since 2021 until the first quarter of this year, over 36,000 entrepreneurs have benefited from the ministry’s programmes, which encompass financial assistance schemes, capacity building courses, eCommerce support, and product promotions.”
Additionally, various agencies such as SME Bank, SME Corp Malaysia, Tekun Nasional, Ministry of Public Health, Housing and Local Government (MPHLG), Fama, SEDC, SKM, SDEC, JKMS, and others have also provided assistance to local SMEs, including small and petty traders.
Overall, over 100,000 entrepreneurs have received assistance totaling RM22.6mil from 2021 to the first quarter of this year.
