BELURAN: Sabah is proposing to expand its SME-UP grant scheme to cover service-based businesses, including those in tourism, healthcare, legal services, accounting and retail, from next year.
Deputy Chief Minister III Datuk Ewon Benedick said the proposal had been submitted for consideration under the Sabah Budget 2027, with eligibility criteria to be announced if the expansion goes ahead.
"We have submitted the proposal, and I am confident it will be included in the 2027 state budget.
"Businesses in the service sector will be able to apply for this assistance once it is introduced, but we will announce the eligibility criteria to guide entrepreneurs," he said.
Ewon, who is also Sabah Industrial Development, Entrepreneurship and Transport Minister, was speaking to reporters after officiating at the Sabah-level Hawkers and Small Traders Day (HPPK) Mini Carnival in Beluran on Sunday (Nov 15).
The SME-UP scheme, administered through the Industrial Development and Research Department (DIDR), currently focuses on manufacturing and production businesses, particularly those requiring machinery and processing equipment.
Ewon said the ministry had received numerous requests for assistance from service-sector entrepreneurs over the past year.
"Although these businesses do not involve product-processing machinery, they provide services to customers and create employment opportunities for Sabahans.
"I believe they deserve assistance too," he said.
Meanwhile, Ewon said he would chair the first meeting of the Sabah Hawkers and Small Traders Consultative Council on Wednesday (Nov 18).
He expects hawkers' associations to raise concerns extending beyond financial assistance.
"The issues faced by hawkers and small traders are not limited to entrepreneurial assistance. They also involve permits, licences, business premises and many other matters.
"That is why the responsibility of helping this community does not rest solely with our ministry but also involves other ministries and government agencies," he said.
Ewon said the state government would also explore additional business guidance and development programmes to strengthen the competitiveness of hawkers and small traders.
On the carnival, he said the event was aimed at creating business opportunities for local entrepreneurs while giving them access to government services.
The two-day programme, organised by the ministry in collaboration with the Sabah Federation of Hawkers and Small Traders Associations (G3PNS), featured briefings on microfinancing, business development and preparations for 2027 grant applications.
The programme also included scheduled presentations of TEKUN financing and free canopy assistance.
Beluran was the first of four districts selected to host the state-level HPPK celebrations, following the national-level launch by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in Selangor on Nov 1.
The celebrations will continue in Kota Marudu and Putatan before concluding in Kota Belud in early December.
Ewon hoped the initiative could be extended to other districts next year.
