KOTA KINABALU: Discussions are set to begin on establishing a strategic partnership between the Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Ministry and Shell Malaysia, with the energy and petrochemical giant potentially joining as an anchor company or vendor.
Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick has instructed the ministry’s Franchise and Vendor Development Division to initiate talks with Shell soon.
"The aim is to partner with Shell to support the growth of vendor companies.
"To date, we have signed 40 memoranda of understanding with multinational corporations, including Petronas, Perodua, and Bank Rakyat, under the Vendor Development Programme," Ewon said during the Shell LiveWIRE Malaysia National Awards ceremony here on Saturday (Nov 30).
In Sabah, he added, the ministry is already in discussions with Sabah Electricity and Qhazanah Sabah Berhad.
"Hopefully, these discussions with Shell will also result in the company becoming one of our anchor partners," he said.
Ewon also encouraged entrepreneurs honoured at the Shell awards to leverage financing schemes available through the ministry's agencies.
"I urge entrepreneurs and cooperatives to tap into the ministry’s initiatives, particularly matching grants, to grow or expand their businesses into international markets," he added.
The minister later presented awards to five outstanding enterprises named national winners of Shell LiveWIRE Malaysia 2024.
Each winner received RM30,000 in funding and a chance to connect with Shell’s global LiveWIRE network.
The winners included Sabah-based Global Cerah Sdn Bhd, Koperasi Opah Sri Aman Bhd and 4x4 Quest Sdn Bhd from Sarawak, and Reclimate Sdn Bhd and Synbiozymes Sdn Bhd from Peninsular Malaysia.
Also in attendance was Shell Malaysia Country Chair, Siti Sulaiman.
Shell LiveWIRE, launched in Sabah in 2015 and Sarawak in 2016, expanded to Peninsular Malaysia in 2022.
The programme fosters entrepreneurship and innovation to address socio-economic challenges nationwide.
