PENAMPANG, Sept 30 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (KUSKOP) is hopeful that special programmes for Sabah and Sarawak will continue under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP).
Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick said initiatives introduced over the past two years include the Bumiputera Entrepreneur Grant for Sabah and Sarawak (BEEP Plus) and the Premises Development (Tamu Desa) Programme, which have benefitted local entrepreneurs.
He said while Sabah and Sarawak receive additional attention, KUSKOP and its agencies continue to support entrepreneurs nationwide.
“Given the significant challenges faced in Sabah and Sarawak, the ministry introduced these initiatives to help their entrepreneurs compete locally and internationally,” he told reporters after the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Hub Open Day and a networking session with entrepreneurs in Sabah today.
The Penampang MP said BEEP Plus has received encouraging response, and KUSKOP has requested a larger allocation under RMK13 to fund it.
Earlier in his speech, Ewon said more than one million registered MSMEs nationwide contributed RM652.4 billion to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with RM196.8 billion from exports.
Since its launch in 2023, BEEP Plus has benefitted 197 Bumiputera-owned micro enterprises in Sabah and Sarawak, including 138 companies from Sabah, with grants amounting to RM11.48 million. MSMEs have also created nearly 8.1 million jobs for Malaysians.
Ewon added that KUSKOP, through SME Corp. Malaysia, will organise SME Venture@ASEAN from Oct 16 to 18 at MITEC, Kuala Lumpur. The trade exhibition will serve as a regional platform to help Malaysian MSMEs expand into ASEAN markets.
The event will focus on high-impact sectors such as electrical and electronics, aerospace, oil and gas, biotechnology, medical devices, halal technology, smart agriculture, green economy and mobility.
“I invite everyone to attend, support local products, and join in advancing the internationalisation of Malaysian MSMEs,” he said.
--BERNAMA
BERNAMA provides up-to-date authentic and comprehensive news and information which are disseminated via BERNAMA Wires; www.bernama.com; BERNAMA TV on Astro 502, unifi TV 631 and MYTV 121 channels and BERNAMA Radio on FM93.9 (Klang Valley), FM107.5 (Johor Bahru), FM107.9 (Kota Kinabalu) and FM100.9 (Kuching) frequencies.
Follow us on social media :
Facebook : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatv, @bernamaradio
Twitter : @bernama.com, @BernamaTV, @bernamaradio
Instagram : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatvofficial, @bernamaradioofficial
TikTok : @bernamaofficial
