Sabah's SME-UP Scheme Supports Nearly 5,900 Entrepreneurs with New Services

Deputy Chief Minister III Ewon Benedick announced that the SME-UP Assistance Programme has benefited 5,879 micro, small and medium enterprise entrepreneurs across Sabah since its launch in 2017. The initiative, managed by the Ministry of Industrial Development, Entrepreneurship and Transport, funds the purchase of production equipment, packaging, labeling and retort machines, and this year introduced assistance for halal certification and trademark registration to boost product quality and marketability.

At a town-hall hosted by the Hebatkan Perniagaan Malaysia initiative, Benedick cited collaborations with Bataras Supermarket, Petronas Kedai Mesra and AEON, which have given direct market access to 630 entrepreneurs. He also announced a special industrial land lease policy allowing firms to build factories at the Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park, supporting a shift from small-scale to larger-scale operations. Further proposals have been submitted to the Sabah Ministry of Finance for inclusion in the 2027 budget, aiming to expand support for business scaling and export competitiveness.