Over 5,000 Sabah Entrepreneurs Have Benefitted From SME-UP Programme - Ewon
KOTA KINABALU, Oct 24 (Bernama) -- A total of 5,879 micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) entrepreneurs in Sabah have benefited from the SME-UP Assistance Programme implemented from 2017 to 2025, said Deputy Chief Minister III Datuk Ewon Benedick.
The State Minister of Industrial Development, Entrepreneurship and Transport said the programme aims to enhance production capacity, product quality and the competitiveness of local entrepreneurs through the purchase of machinery and equipment as well as packaging, labelling and retort machines.
“This year, we have also introduced, for the first time, assistance for halal certification and trademark registration under the SME-UP programme to ensure that entrepreneurs are not only able to produce quality products, but also meet market requirements and improve their competitiveness.
“However, while continuing our efforts to assist micro and small entrepreneurs, particularly those involved in food production, we must also pay attention to the business scale-up agenda to help them grow into larger companies,” he said here today.
He was speaking as a panellist at a townhall session under the Hebatkan Perniagaan Malaysia initiative along with Deputy Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin. The session was moderated by National Entrepreneurship Institute (INSKEN) chief executive officer Viviantie Sarjuni.
SME-UP is a special grant assistance scheme offered by the Sabah state government to help MSMEs enhance their operational capacity, product quality and business competitiveness in both domestic and international markets.
Ewon said his ministry had also expanded market access for local products through partnerships with leading retail chains, including Bataras Supermarket, Petronas Kedai Mesra and AEON.
He said the strategic collaborations with Bataras and Petronas Kedai Mesra had provided direct market access to 630 Sabah entrepreneurs as of last year.
To support entrepreneurs in transitioning to a larger industrial scale, he said, the state government has approved a special industrial land lease policy to enable local companies to build factories at the Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP).
“The Sabah Ministry of Industrial Development, Entrepreneurship and Transport (MINDET) has also submitted several proposals for new support initiatives to the Sabah Ministry of Finance for consideration in Sabah’s Budget 2027.
“We hope these proposals will receive due consideration in the budget so that more entrepreneurs can receive assistance to scale up and expand their businesses,” he added.
-- BERNAMA