First MSME Hub in East Malaysia to boost Sabah entrepreneurs

Borneo Post

03-05-2025

Ewon (middle) expresses his excitement over the opening of the MSME Hub Sabah. Dompok is at left and at right is SME Corp Malaysia Chief Executive Officer Rizal Dato Nainy.
PENAMPANG (May 3): SME Corp Malaysia launched its new office and the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) Hub Sabah branch here on Saturday.
Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (KUSKOP) Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick described the occasion as a historic event, as it marks the first of its kind to be established in East Malaysia.
He said the MSME hub he had long envisioned was developed to provide facilities for the business community and aspiring entrepreneurs in Sabah, particularly in the Penampang district.
He said that the hub shall serve as a one-stop centre for MSME to obtain advisory services from business counsellors and access information on entrepreneurship programmes offered by the government.
'I am truly excited to witness the effectiveness of this hub, and I hope the facility will be well utilised by all,' he said. 'This is because, as I was informed, in 2024 a total of 10,035 MSME physically visited the SME Corp Malaysia MSME Hub, while 2,607 MSME visited the hub between January and March 2025.'
He added that with the launch of this hub, it will be easier for MSME in Sabah to obtain fast, accurate, and comprehensive information on entrepreneurship and business, explore business opportunities, learn best business practices, and access essential information on starting a business, market access, human capital development, financial resources, industry updates, and various other aspects of business.
Ewon said this during the launch of the BEEP Plus Programme in Donggongon, near here, on Saturday, which was also attended by the chairman of SME Corp. Malaysia, Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Bernard Giluk Dompok.
'I am pleased with the success of the programmes we have introduced, especially for micro-enterprises in East Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak), in line with the Look East Within the Country policy that I have initiated.
Considering the positive response from MSME in Sabah and Sarawak, the BEEP Plus programme will continue to be implemented in 2025,' he said.
During the event, Ewon also announced that 15 MSME entrepreneurs from Sabah would be receiving grants under the BEEP programme.
Commending the recipients, Ewon said they represented Bumiputera MSME entrepreneurs in Sabah who have demonstrated strong potential and the commitment required to qualify for the grants, which total RM841,099.97.
'I hope and pray that all of you will achieve outstanding success and contribute to the socio-economic development of your respective districts and of Sabah,' he said.
Ewon also reminded that the year 2025 marks the final year of the 12th Malaysia Plan and that planning and groundwork have already begun for the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP).
'Efforts to upscale business size through MSME scaling strategies will be a key focus of national MSME development for the period from 2026 to 2030,' he said.
Ewon also revealed that, based on data analysed by the Department of Statistics Malaysia, the number of micro enterprises in 2023 declined by 6.9%, falling to 767,421 from 923,667 in 2022.
Meanwhile, the number of small enterprises increased by 35.8%, and medium enterprises grew by 7.9%, he said.
'These figures demonstrate the effectiveness of government policies and interventions through the implementation of targeted programmes and initiatives for MSME. In efforts to stimulate the growth of more resilient and sustainable MSME, the government remains committed to intensifying efforts to empower MSME, particularly in facing future challenges and uncertainties,' he said.
At the same time, Ewon reaffirmed that KUSKOP remains firmly committed to supporting MSME in their transition towards digitalisation.
'This has become a central agenda within various government policies and strategies under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), building on the momentum of the 12MP Mid-Term Review, which set a clear target of having 90 per cent of MSME digitalise their business operations by 2025,' he said.
He added that, in line with this agenda, KUSKOP — through SME Corp Malaysia — signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) on 25 March 2025.
The collaboration aims to ensure that MSME receive holistic support, including access to financing, digital tools, and capacity building, to facilitate their successful transition into the digital economy.
The government remains committed to ensuring that MSME are not left behind in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.