TAWAU: A total of 47 Sabah entrepreneurs under the guidance of the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (Kuskop) through SME Bank received certificates of appreciation and RM100 e-wallet incentives.
Kuskop Minister, Datuk Ewon Benedick said this year, the Centre for Entrepreneur Development and Research Sdn. Bhd. (Cedar) is targeting 3,000 entrepreneurs to participate in its entrepreneurial training and mentorship programs.
“To complete the Madani Entrepreneur Advancement Programme 2025, Cedar, a subsidiary of SME Bank, is responsible for providing entrepreneurial training and guidance to entrepreneurs under SME Bank.
“This year, Cedar aims to guide 3,000 entrepreneurs, and so far, we’ve successfully mentored 1,062 entrepreneurs, including 47 from Sabah who took part in today’s event held in conjunction with the Madani Rakyat Programme (PMR) in Tawau.
“I’d like to extend my appreciation to Cedar and SME Bank for this contribution, and I hope the programme achieves its target by continuing to provide various training and mentoring initiatives for other entrepreneurs,” he told reporters during the Entrepreneur Engagement Session with Kuskop held at the Tawau Municipal Council (MPT) Conference Hall.
According to Ewon, a total of RM5 million has been allocated to achieve the programme’s targets.
“Kuskop has allocated RM2 million, while SME Bank has provided RM3 million. These funds cover various training schemes, including financial literacy, artificial intelligence (AI), environmental, social, and governance (ESG) training, and the Halal Hub initiative, as I mentioned in my speech earlier.
“That’s why we constantly monitor the implementation of our ongoing programmes,” he added.
He also highlighted that there are special financing programmes for entrepreneurs from the disabled (OKU) community and military veterans, though the response has been underwhelming.
“We do have special financing programmes for OKU entrepreneurs, but we’re also observing the level of participation.
“This is the challenge. I know there are many OKU entrepreneurs out there. Perhaps they are unaware or feel reluctant. I need to look into the exact reasons why the response has been low, especially when compared to the amount allocated for other more popular programmes.
“The same goes for the Armed Forces Veteran Financing Scheme. It’s available for those who have completed their military service, but it hasn’t met its target either. We need more participation and ask the media to help spread the word.
“Otherwise, the funds allocated might be redirected to schemes that receive better reception. In any case, we want OKU individuals and other special groups to be involved in entrepreneurship, just as we support others, because we aim to ease their burdens too,” he said.
