JOHOR’S entrepreneurs have emerged as the country’s third biggest recipients of the National Entrepreneur Group Economic Fund (Tekun Nasional).
Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Steven Sim said the government distributed RM52mil to 2,400 entrepreneurs in Johor from Jan 1 to May 31 this year.
“Of the 2,400 recipients, 64% were female,” he told reporters during the “Majlis Ramah Mesra” with 400 entrepreneurs in Johor Baru.
Sim said it showed that Johor women played a very important role in entrepreneurial activities and were among the main drivers of the nation’s economic growth.
He said the fund’s recipients were mostly involved in the service sector with 1,183 entrepreneurs, followed by the retail sector (669) and manufacturing (260).
The others were small-scale contractors (234), with 54 running agriculture and agro-based enterprises.
Sim said the majority were micro and community entrepreneurs.
“They are among the backbone of the people’s economy, in line with Malaysia’s enterprise landscape where almost 80% of small-scale enterprises in the country are micro.”
He expressed appreciation to the entrepreneurs for their dedication in developing businesses and improving the well-being of their respective families.
“The financing is not just about providing business capital, but also opens up space for the improvement of technology, business capabilities and productivity.”
He said the ministry provided a comprehensive entrepreneurial ecosystem encompassing micro-financing through Tekun Nasional and Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM), and growth financing through SME Corp Malaysia, SME Bank and Bank Rakyat.
“Training and capacity building are extended through the National Entrepreneurship Institute, Malaysian Cooperative Institute and various other ministry agencies.
“Johor is seen to be strategically positioned to emerge as the country’s new growth hub via the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone, infrastructure improvements and influx of new investments,” Sim added.
