SERIAN: The International Trade, Industry and Investment Ministry (MINTRED) is targeting 500 entrepreneurs to participate in the Sarawak Go Digital 2022 programme in collaboration with the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC).
The programme has received a total of RM5 million in funding to purchase digital equipment and hardware such as laptops, digital cameras and drones, as well as software such as Epos System, Photoshop tools and social media tokens.
To support the digital economy policy, the ministry is also implementing the Sarawak Digital Marketing initiative.
“The Sarawak Digital Marketing programme provides intensive handholding training for a minimum of six months for capacity building.
“ These include digital entrepreneurship management for start-ups and digital entrepreneurship certification accreditation,” said Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan at the Jum Regista Bisnes programme in Serian on Wednesday.
His text of speech was read by Deputy Minister for International Trade and Investment Datuk Malcolm Mussen Lamoh.
Awang Tengah pointed out that the ministry also provided other capacity building programmes conducted physically and online to enhance the competitiveness and skills of local entrepreneurs.
As of March 2022, more than 8,000 Sarawak entrepreneurs have been trained through more than 220 programmes including Digital Entrepreneurship.
“There are YouTube, smartphone, website, social media and creative content courses.
“ We also pro basic entrepreneurship including basic accounting course as well as basic business course to enhance entrepreneurial skills through sewing technology course and food handling certification,” he said.
He said that the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) which are represented by 98.5 per cent of the business community in Sarawak are already considered as the heart of the state’s economic growth. In addition, he stated that approximately RM210 million in financial aid has been approved for over 46,400 local entrepreneurs, including vendors and small businesses through numerous of initiatives under the Sarawakku Sayang Special Assistance Program (BKSS).
“The aid included the Small and Medium Industry Scheme (SPIKS) totalling RM31.08 million n assistance to 417 Bumiputera entrepreneurs so far.
“There is also the Sarawak Micro Credit Scheme (SKMS), which has disbursed RM49.5 million to 1,689 B40, micro and small entrepreneurs.
“The initiative also provides an assistance through Graduates to Entrepreneurs Programme (Gerak) as well as Technical and Vocational Entrepreneurs Programme (Ustev) in about RM7.8 million to 857 recipients,” he added.
To further assist local SMEs affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of cash flow, the state government also provides an
interest rate subsidy initiative for the Special Relief Fund (SRF), Targeted Relief and Recovery Facility (TRRF) including the Penjana Tourism Financing (PTF).
He added that MINTRED approved about RM77 million in subsidies for the initiative’s implementation before January 31, 2022 which has benefited 3,346 SMEs state -wide.
Apart from that, he said the state government is also assisting Sarawak SMEs and entrepreneurs from the tourism sector which have been heavily affected by the pandemic.
To date, under BKSS 6.0, more than 1,000 SMEs and tourism entrepreneurs have been assisted with RM1.29 million in assistance.
“As of March 2022, under BKSS 8.0, a total of 38,570 hawkers and small traders under local authorities
have been assisted with assistance worth RM38.57 million.
“This initiative is to ensure that their business continues to operate and ease the burden of hawkers and
small traders,” he said.
On another matter, Awang Tengah said his ministry has provided an online platform for entrepreneurs to promote and sell their products
through Facebook at Bazaar Rakyat Online Sarawakku Sayang (BROSS).
