KOTA KINABALU, SABAH, MALAYSIA December 11, 2025 – Deputy Chief Minister III cum Minister of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Transportation, Datuk Ewon Benedick, said that scaling micro, small, and medium enterprises (PMKS) in Sabah will be one of the main agendas of his ministry starting from 2026.
He said this is part of efforts to increase people’s income and reduce the poverty rate in the state.
In connection with that, he said, he will introduce new initiatives for the ministry next year, in addition to new initiatives in the 2026 State Budget, which will be tabled tomorrow.
“I will introduce several new initiatives in the ministry that can be implemented by the Department of Industrial Development and Research (DIDR), especially to upscale PMKS entrepreneurs,” he said.
He made these remarks when met by reporters after visiting DIDR and receiving a briefing from DIDR Director Siti Nur’Ain Abdullah today.
Ewon said that entrepreneurship development data in Sabah needs to be coordinated, as currently only over 8,000 entrepreneurs are registered as DIDR members. The number of business owners in Sabah is estimated to exceed 100,000 based on business license records.
“During my time at KUSKOP, more than 53,000 Sabah PMKS entrepreneurs received assistance last year. All this data must be coordinated so that PMKS scaling planning can be implemented in a more directed manner.
“That’s why I am making this PMKS scaling program one of my major agendas in this ministry, because by scaling them, it will certainly require new workforce, meaning we can achieve our vision to increase people’s income,” he said.
Ewon said that visits to every department and agency under his ministry will continue.
“I will visit SOGIP this Saturday and after that, the Ports and Wharves Department.
“My visit to DIDR today is part of a series of visits to all departments and agencies under my ministry.
“After I understand the direction and existing roles of all these agencies and the ministry, then I will introduce initiatives, especially those related to entrepreneurship development,” he said.
As an example, Ewon said that about 80 percent of the lots in the Sabah Agro Industrial Park (SAIP), which is the enterprise center in Papar, still do not have operations at present.
“This requires finding a promotion package to enable entrepreneurs to choose SAIP as their enterprise location,” he said.
He also stated that a few days ago, he held discussions with Bank Rakyat to explore marketing cooperation and financial support in industrial park areas in Sabah.
“All of this I will announce officially in early February next year, because I do not want to announce any initiative without going through the proper process, which is obtaining mandate and approval from the cabinet, as every initiative involves financial implications,” he said.
Ewon emphasized that the Sabah First vision in his ministry is to increase the income of Sabah’s people through the development of a stronger entrepreneurship ecosystem.
“Sabah is often mentioned as a state with many of the poorest districts. So how do we develop income-generating people?
“First, through business ownership, whether micro, small, medium, or large entrepreneurs. Second, through job opportunities in these businesses,” he said.
He said the PMKS scaling program is very important because when entrepreneurs grow, it creates new job opportunities and thereby increases people’s income.
At the same time, he said the services of the ministry and its agencies need to be at the best level.
“When I say the ministry needs to provide excellent service, I must be the first person to set that example.
“Hopefully, we can build an excellent Sabah First team,” he said.
