KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 9 — The small and medium enterprises (SMEs) should change their mindset, be flexible in their approach in running businesses and take advantage of the facilities provided by the government in order to shift to digital as a result of the COVID-19 impact, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) said.
Chief operating officer Datuk Ng Wan Peng said a lot of facilities including the SME matching grant for digitisation, mentorship programmes and various accelerator programmes were free for SMEs to tap into.
“As we head into 2021, it is time to reset and think big to transform business operations to match new customer expectations as well as to future-proof themselves for the next normal,” she said at the virtual inaugural roundtable titled “The Next Normal for Digitalisation of Traditional Businesses” here, today.
She said SMEs could actually benefit from the facilities and get support by reaching out to any of the government or private sector associations.
“At MDEC, we do a lot of campaign. For example, you may recall our e-Usahawan where we empower the youth and micro SMEs so they know how to go digital by giving them training and providing them mentoring services.
“We also have set up a centre for those who do not know how to go to these digitalisation platforms…and soon, we will also be launching a digital accelerator in five states where we will set up the physical centre with the digital facilitators involved,” she said.
More importantly, the businesses needed to have the determination to change and do something for themselves, Ng said.
“So, I think it is important that SMEs stay positive, be vigilant and then reach out to that support and help that they need…with realigned business models and operations, I believe this will help them to sustain the business or even grow their business.”
Going forward, she said 2021 was expected to be a better year for Malaysia’s economy driven by news that vaccine would be available soon, government stimulus programmes, and with the people adapting to the new normal.
The first of “The Next Normal” virtual roundtable series was organised by homegrown e-wallet, Boost, aimed at taking a deep dive into various aspects of the digital ecosystem and accelerated transformation.
