Malaysians abroad can be ambassadors for Malaysian SME products - Ewon

13 March 2024

By Wartawan Nabalu News

BERLIN: Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Datuk Ewon Benedick suggested that Malaysians in Germany and around the world become ambassadors for products from Malaysian small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

He said that small and medium enterprises in Malaysia have many products and services with great potential to be marketed internationally.

"As the minister responsible for entrepreneurship and cooperatives development, we (MEDC) hope that all Malaysians around the world become unofficial ambassadors for our SME products and services.

"The small and medium enterprises in our country have many products and services with potential that should be promoted in countries where we study or work, including in Germany," he said.

He said this while speaking at an informal event with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Malaysians in Germany yesterday.

Ewon mentioned that currently there are 1.1 million SMEs in Malaysia, most of which are micro-enterprises, and over 16,000 cooperatives with a total membership of over 7 million people.

"This is a significant number, and certainly, with this working visit and with the efforts made by the Prime Minister, through meetings with industry leaders, meetings with the Chancellor, and commitments to invest in our country in Malaysia, we certainly hope that SMEs seize that opportunity," he said.

He hopes that SMEs in Malaysia can seize the opportunities within the supply chain of companies investing in Malaysia.

"That's why we are here (in Germany) to explore how SMEs in our country can play a role.

"We also hope that Malaysians in Germany can help serve as ambassadors to promote SME products, especially in F&B, which I believe we miss in Malaysia," he said.

Also present were SME Corp Chairman Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, SME Corp Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Rizal Nainy, SME Bank Non-Executive Chairman Datuk Muslim Hussain, and SME Bank CEO Datuk Dr Aria Putra Ismail.

Several agencies under MEDC will participate in SME Future Day organised by the German Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (BVMW), starting today.

Six companies from Malaysia will promote their products and services in Germany, including four entrepreneurial companies developed by SME Bank under the Business Exports Programme and two Franchise companies.

The SME companies are Marniq Bersatu Sdn Bhd, Primelux Energy Sdn Bhd, Ade Azhar Trading Sdn Bhd, and 59Kopa Sdn Bhd.

Meanwhile, the two franchise companies are Marrybrown Sdn Bhd and Kopitiam Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd..