Strong emphasis on scaling up Sabah’s MSMEs starting 2026: Ewon

11 December 2025

KOTA KINABALU: The scaling up of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Sabah will be among the key agendas of the Ministry of Industry, Entrepreneur and Transport beginning 2026.

Its Minister, Datuk Ewon Benedick, who is also the Deputy Chief Minister III, said this forms part of the efforts to increase the people’s income and reduce the poverty rate in the state.

In line with that, he said he will introduce new initiatives under the ministry next year, in addition to new measures featured in the Sabah State Budget 2026 which will be tabled tomorrow.

“I will be introducing several new initiatives within the ministry that can be implemented by the Department of Industrial Development and Research (DIDR), particularly to upscale the enterprises of MSME entrepreneurs,” he said.

He said this when met by reporters after visiting DIDR and receiving a briefing from its Director, Siti Nur’Ain Abdullah, today.

Ewon said data on entrepreneurship development in Sabah must be aligned, as currently only slightly over 8,000 entrepreneurs are registered as DIDR members. However, the number of business owners in Sabah is estimated to exceed 100,000 based on business licence records.

“When I was at KUSKOP, more than 53,000 MSME entrepreneurs in Sabah received assistance last year. All this data must be synchronised so that MSME scaling can be planned and implemented more effectively.

“That is why I am making the scaling up of MSMEs one of my major agendas in this ministry, because scaling them up will certainly require a new workforce — meaning we can achieve our vision of increasing the people’s income,” he said.

Ewon added that visits to all departments and agencies under his ministry will continue.

“I will visit SOGIP this Saturday and after that, the Ports and Harbour Department.

“My visit to DIDR today is part of a series of visits to all departments and agencies under my ministry.

“Once I fully understand the direction and existing roles of all these agencies and ministries, I will begin introducing initiatives, especially those related to entrepreneurship development,” he said.

As an example, Ewon said about 80 per cent of the lots at the Sabah Agro Industrial Park (SAIP), the industrial hub in Papar, still do not have any operations.

“There must be a promotional package to encourage entrepreneurs to choose SAIP as their base of operations,” he said.

He also revealed that a few days ago he held discussions with Bank Rakyat to explore potential collaboration in marketing and financial support for industrial park zones in Sabah.

“All of this will be officially announced in early February next year, as I do not want to announce any initiative without going through the proper process, which includes obtaining the mandate and approval of the Cabinet, since every initiative carries financial implications,” he said.

Ewon stressed that the vision of Sabah First within his ministry is to increase the income of Sabahans through the development of a stronger entrepreneurship ecosystem.

“Sabah is often cited as a state with many of the poorest districts. So how do we uplift low-income communities?

“Firstly, through business ownership — whether micro, small, medium or large entrepreneurs. Secondly, through job opportunities created within these businesses,” he said.

He said MSME scaling programmes are crucial because as entrepreneurs grow, they create new employment opportunities, thereby increasing the income of the people.

At the same time, he emphasised that ministry and agency services must operate at the highest standards.

“When I say the ministry must provide excellent service, I must be the first to set that example.

“Hopefully we can build an excellent Sabah First team,” he said.