The Sabah state government has allocated RM124.7 million for the development of its industrial and entrepreneurial sectors in 2025.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said that the state government through the Sabah Maju Jaya Roadmap is also prioritising the development of entrepreneurs and cooperatives, thus enhancing the socio-economic well-being of the local community.

To this end, he encouraged entrepreneurs and cooperatives in the state to seize every opportunity provided by the government to become more competitive and resilient.

This aligns with the state government’s commitment to continuously support and empower the entrepreneurial sector through various initiatives and development programmes for entrepreneurs and cooperatives in the state.

“I believe with the assistance provided by the government, more can be achieved by entrepreneurs or cooperatives in the state, including in Kadamaian, particularly in the tourism and agriculture sectors,” he said.

Hajiji also said that the state government is ready to enhance its collaboration with the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (KUSKOP) in implementing high-impact programmes that align with current needs and demands in the context of entrepreneurship and the local community.

“The ministry remains committed to assisting micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) entrepreneurs and cooperatives, including street vendors and small traders, in strengthening the entrepreneurial and cooperative ecosystem.

“I hope KUSKOP will continue to support MSME entrepreneurs not only in Kadamaian but also across the entire state,” he added.

Previously, it was reported that KUSKOP had successfully assisted 612,692 entrepreneurs with financing worth RM6.45 billion from January to September 2024, provided by agencies such as Tekun Nasional, Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia, Bank Rakyat, SME Bank, SME Corp and the National Corporation Bhd.

Its minister, Datuk Ewon Benedick said that the beneficiaries included MSMEs, cooperatives, social enterprises, informal entrepreneurs, hawkers and small traders nationwide, whom benefitted from 206 programmes that the ministry and its agencies had implemented.

“The support encompasses financing, capacity building, digitalisation and automation adaptation, market access expansion and fostering entrepreneurship,” the minister said.

He noted that during the two years of the MADANI Government’s administration, KUSKOP launched numerous initiatives addressing policy formulation, governance and regulation, capacity building, access to financing, market expansion, technology adaptation and service delivery enhancement.

“These efforts aim to establish a conducive ecosystem to accelerate growth and stability in the entrepreneurial sector, enhance the scale and competitiveness of entrepreneurs and cooperatives, creating a more facilitative and effective delivery system,” he added.

To date, the ministry has developed several key policies, guidelines and action plans, including the MSME Strategic Plan 2030, the Malaysia Cooperative Policy 2030 and the National Hawkers and Small Traders Development Policy 2030.

Additionally, it introduced updated guidelines and plans, such as the SDSI Programme Implementation Guidelines Version 2.0, Home Business Regulatory Guidelines, Development Plan for Hawkers and Small Traders 2023-2027, Formalisation Plan for Informal Entrepreneurs and the Cooperative Digitalisation Action Plan 2030.

Ewon also highlighted the introduction of new programmes in 2024, such as the Village Guest (Tamu Desa) Premises Development Programme, aimed at improving infrastructure for small traders in rural areas, particularly in East Malaysia.

Additionally, the ministry facilitated international trade missions for halal entrepreneurs, vendors and franchise businesses to Japan, France, Germany and Saudi Arabia.

“From January to September 2024, 16 international trade missions involving 289 entrepreneurs recorded a total sales value and potential sales value of RM1.53 billion,” Ewon announced.

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