JOHOR BARU: The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) has trained over 560,000 online entrepreneurs, generating more than RM1.26bil in sales since 2016, says Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh.

The MDEC chairman added that this figure is expected to grow as Malaysia becomes the chairman of Asean in 2025.

“MDEC introduced the eUsahawan programme in 2016, and to date, we have trained 564,629 micro-entrepreneurs, university students, and Technical and Vocational Education and Training students, helping them generate RM1.26bil in sales.

“We are also targeting to create more than 150,000 job opportunities in the digital sectors next year as we assume our role as the Asean chairman.

“These jobs are expected to generate a monthly income of RM8,000, so we hope to train more locals to be part of this programme,” he said.

He said this when meeting reporters after the officiating ceremony of the ‘Jelajah Saya Digital’ at Angsana Mall Johor Baru on Saturday (July 27).

The programme was officiated by Johor Education and Information Committee Chairman Aznan Tamin.

Syed Ibrahim added that this target is also supported by the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ), which is expected to bring in more foreign investment into the country.

“We should take this opportunity to help our local entrepreneurs expand their market.

“Some of them might need government grants to expand, but it is also important that we help them with business matching with foreign investors who can help them grow,” he said, adding that some businesses under MDEC have expanded their market to South Korea and Japan.

“The products they sell vary, from food paste and 'mee bandung' to rattan craft products,” he added.

Meanwhile, Aznan shared that the Johor state government is in the final phase of introducing an application for Johoreans to submit any complaints and issues they face in their area.

“It is similar to the Public Complaints Management System for Councillors (SISPAA), but instead of having to go through government agencies one by one, the application will collect all of them under one roof, and we can decide which agencies will be given the task based on the report.

“We decided to introduce this application based on public feedback, as people sometimes post their grievances on the Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi’s Facebook page,” he said.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/07/27/over-500000-online-entrepreneurs-trained-under-mdec-says-chairman