MORE than 8,900 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the state have benefitted from various financial assistance schemes totalling RM193 million as of Oct this year.
Deputy Premier and Minister of International Trade, Industry, and Investment Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said, thus, his Ministry will continue to provide various financial assistance programmes such as Graduan Ke Arah Keusahawanan (GERAK), Usahawan Teknikal dan Vokasional (USTEV), Go Digital Program, Sarawak Micro Credit Scheme (SKMS) and Skim Pinjaman Industri Kecil dan Sederhana (SPIKS).
“In addition, over 177,000 MSMEs in Sarawak have benefitted from various financial assistance programmes with total approved funding surpassing RM2.6 billion since 2021.
“These include the financial assistance programmes offered by SME Bank, Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia, TEKUN, Malaysian Industrial Development Finance Berhad, MARA and Suruhanjaya Koperasi Malaysia, which strengthen MSMEs financial position, enabling them to grow and remain competitive,” he said.
He said this when delivering his ministerial winding-up speech today.
Awang Tengah further stressed that it is crucial that MSMEs be on board to join the sustainability journey.
“To support this, the ongoing outreach and education programmes along with financing schemes, have been made available to MSMEs.
“These initiatives will encourage and empower more MSMEs to take their first steps towards sustainable practices. To date, more than 250 MSMEs have benefitted from ESG Outreach Programmes and green financing initiative totalling RM223 million through collaboration initiated by my Ministry between InvestSarawak and financial institutions,” he said.
He added his Ministry has recently launched an integrated and centralised database, known as ENBASE. ENBASE is designed to facilitate data-driven decision making for effective planning and resource allocation.
“By integrating data-driven approach, we can design comprehensive programmes tailored to the needs of MSMEs. Ultimately, this will lead to more effective and targetted solutions for a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem in Sarawak,” he said.
