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                                  SBG
ECONOMY
 IMPETUS TO GROWTH
By encouraging small and medium enterprises, SME Corp. Malaysia is laying the foundation to make Vision 2020 a reality.
Dato’ Hafsah Hashim
CEO, SME Corp. Malaysia
 The ambitious plan of the Malaysian government, Vision 2020, lays the blueprint for the country’s emergence as a fully developed nation. To achieve this goal, the government has decided to give a boost to the fast growing
business sector, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in particular, have a significant role to play.
It was to aid small and medium enterprises that SME Corporation Malaysia (SME Corp. Malaysia) was
formulates and implements policies, coordinates programmes across agencies and provides information and advisory services to support the development of resilient SMEs. To assist entrepreneurs across various sectors, the organisation has set up One Referral Centres in Kuala Lumpur and at state offices in each state.
AREAS OF GROWTH
With its strategic location, a market- oriented economy, political stability and a dynamic and business-friendly environment, Malaysia has all the prerequisites for growth and profits.
investing in the country, especially by the GCC countries. Dato’ Hafsah Hashim, CEO of SME Corp. Malaysia, sees this as “opportunities for our SMEs to explore possibilities. For instance, in the manufacturing sector there is a huge potential in the palm oil industry, while SMEs in the tourism sector can
see more growth by exploring high value services that will attract high- end tourists. In agriculture, the focus would be to shift to large-scale activity, higher-yield methods and adoption of new technologies to foster better linkages to the marketplace, which will all result in greater production and higher income”.
SME Corp. Malaysia coordinates programmes to support the development of resilient SMEs.
GLOBAL REACH
“Internationalisation and integration is the name of the game today. We are building fundamentals in terms of growth strategy to make Malaysian SMEs competitive internationally,” says
designed by SME Corp. Malaysia to encourage entrepreneurship, have a three-fold agenda: they aim to strengthen the enabling infrastructure; build the capacity and capability of domestic SMEs; and improve access to financing to SMEs, ultimately boosting the economy. For instance, the SCORE (or SME Competitiveness Rating for Enhancement) programme was designed to evaluate and help improve the performance and capabilities of
parameters, identifies the standards and levels of competency of SMEs and links them to industrial programmes
companies with a score of 3 star and above are linked to MATRADE for participation in trade missions and exhibitions. Another programme, the 1-InnoCERT, was developed in response to the demand for a new breed of SMEs that are technology and innovation driven and can help fuel the market. It identifies SMEs’ eligibility for a placement in a Fast Track Programme to shorten time- to-market by providing ready access to market and financing. Another
Mark of Malaysian Brand certification. It has been created to recognise the highest quality standards in products and services and identify the ‘best of the best’ from Malaysia. Brand owners aspiring to this certification need to undergo a stringent audit process designed by SIRIM QAS, SME Corp’s strategic partner.
Other programmes include the Skills Upgrading Programme, which (in partnership with Skills Development Centres and Professional Training Providers) helps enhance the skills of employees in technical and managerial positions; the Enterprise 50, an award programme that honours SMEs with promising prospects and are well positioned for the future; and the Brand Innovation Centre and Branding and Packaging Mobile Gallery (in collaboration with Limkokwing University of Creative Technology), which helps SMEs meet challenges. With such comprehensive programmes paving the way, Vision 2020 doesn’t seem too distant.
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