Sabah invests RM2.41m to develop entrepreneurs and industries in rural areas

The Sabah government has reportedly allocated RM2.41 million for the One Distinct One Product programme (SDSP) to develop entrepreneurs and industries in rural areas in the state.

Chief minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor reportedly said that the Sabah Rural Developmental Ministry would also encourage rural entrepreneurs to work on creating local products such as gongs, flower arrangements, beads and food based on local ingredients, according to reports by Malaymail.

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Entrepreneur development and cooperatives minister Datuk Ewon Benedick also reportedly described the One Distinct One Product strategy as concentrating a single product or industry that has the potential for the international market entry. It aimed to collaborate with entrepreneurs in rural areas for the development of such industries.

Programmes that focused on economic development through local communities was adopted in Malaysia during the early 1990s, based on the One Village One Product (OVOP) movement in Japan. The movement emphasised systematic income generation and rural entrepreneurship, specifically commercialising rural products to comply with international standards. 

SDSP was reportedly previously showcased at the Melaka International Trade Centre late last year, with hopes of revitalizing the effort to promote the products of local entrepreneurs, according to the Daily Express.

Chief minister Hajiji reportedly noted that the Sabah governmental support towards its entrepreneurial sector extends to grants, training, guidance as well as access to marketing and financing. He hoped that rural entrepreneurs would not miss the chance to gain economically from such support, according to Malaymail.

This comes shortly after Malaysia dropping seven places in the IMD World Competitiveness Ranking to rank 34 out of the 67 countries included in the dataset. It also dropped four places in the Asia Pacific group ranking coming in at number 10 out of 14 countries included.

The IMD World Competitiveness Ranking was created to provide actionable data analysis on economies, regions and sub-regions according to how they optimise their individual competencies, using statistics and survey data. 

Malaysia has declined in most categories since last year except for infrastructure, where it has retained its 35th position. Some challenges Malaysia faced, based off data provided by the Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC), include difficulties in investing in R&D to boost business resilience, as well as optimising the labour market to maximise workforce productivity.

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