Kota Kinabalu: The fourth edition of the Sabah SME Week will be held on May 27-31 in conjunction with the SME Week Malaysia, which is observed nationwide. The State-level event will and involve three main programmes, namely, SME Seminar, SME Info-sharing and SME Carnival, here. Department of Industrial Development and Research Deputy Director (DIDR) cum SME Week Deputy Organising Chairperson Stephen Sampil said the event is aimed to bring about recognition for the role and contribution of Sabah's small-medium enterprises (SMEs) in promoting business and economic progress for the State.
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The SME seminar, he said, will feature six working papers, among them presentations on the initiative carry out to assist the development of SMEs. "The seminar will be held on May 27 at the Sabah Trade Center here and is open to the public free of charge.
"It is held along with the SME Info-sharing programme. Some 350 people have so far confirmed their attendance," he told reporters at a conference on the event, here. The event, which is organised by the Industrial Development Ministry and the SME Corp Malaysia Sabah Office, held its final committee meeting on Friday.
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Sampil noted Deputy Chief Minister cum Industrial Development Minister Datuk Raymond Tan is expected to officiate at the SME Seminar and Info-Sharing programme. Meanwhile, he said, the Koidupan Hall along Jalan Penampang has been picked for the venue of the SME Carnival that is scheduled for May 28-31 to bank on the crowd visiting the Kadazandusun Cultural Hall (KDCA) for the Kaamatan festivities.
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He expects up to 300,000 people would visit the KDCA so this would be a good exposure for the 130 SMEs expected to showcase their products at the carnival. Lucky picks will also be held throughout the three-day event, here, that will be open from 9am to 10pm. Sampil said throughout the four years of SME Week in Sabah, SMEs have enjoyed a marginal increase in sales each year. "Last year alone, 230 SMEs raked in RM2,000 each in sales via the SME Carnival that was held at the Likas Sports Complex," he said. "This year, we expect their sales will be further boosted due to the event's proximity to the center of the Kaamatan Festival at the KDCA," he said.
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The SME sector in Sabah has grown by 65 per cent in the past five years with 40,884 such establishments operating in the State. DIDR anticipates their numbers to grow between four and five per cent each year.
