TikTok Shop partners MY govt to empower over 100,000 MSMEs

TikTok Shop Malaysia has partnered with the Malaysian government to support the country's vision of becoming a technology-driven, high-income nation and a regional leader in the digital economy. 

Through the partnership, TikTok Shop will be digitally empowering more than 100,000 local MSMEs. It will also work with the government on a number of projects throughout the year. 

"We remain steadfast in our efforts to be Malaysia's key partner in driving the nation's digital transformation agenda and are thankful for the opportunities to work with the government. Our continued collaboration to accelerate the growth of local MSMEs is a testament to our shared ambition of nurturing a prosperous and digitally enabled Malaysia," said TikTok Malaysia's head of public policy, Anuar Fariz. 

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"Together, we are upskilling small businesses and homegrown brands with the knowledge, tools, and resources needed to grow and thrive both locally and globally. This will lay the foundation for a more resilient and inclusive digital economy, creating viable commercial opportunities for every rakyat (citizen)to succeed," added Anuar. 

The projects include a collaboration with the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) on a campaign titled "#ThisisMY" to intensify cross-border business opportunities, enabling Malaysian businesses and entrepreneurs to expand into Singapore.

It also includes a partnership with the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA) to run an upskilling program for agricultural and disabled MSMEs in the lead up to the Malaysian Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism (MAHA) 2024 event. 

TikTok Shop was also chosen to be a representative at international trade fair Malaysia Fest to introduce hundreds of homegrown Malaysian brands on TikTok Shop to Singapore.

In addition, TikTok Shop will work with the Ministry of International Trade, Industry and Investment (MINTRED) and Sarawak Digital Economy Corporatation (SDEC) to support the launch of the Sarawak Digital Mall campaign to promote thousands of local entrepreneurs.

It will also collaborate on three multi-state Karnival TEKUN Madani with the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (MEDAC) and TEKUN Nasional. 

In collaboration with the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), TikTok Shop will also host a livestreaming competition with 70 MSMEs. Whereas its collaboration with the Perbadanan Usahawan Nasional (PUNB) will see the platform co-fund livestream bootcamps, voucher injections, and store set-up support to help Bumiputra entrepreneurs in driving sales through livestreaming. 

In tandem, TikTok Shop participated as an eCommerce partner in a sharing session organised by Selangor Information Technology and Digital Economy Corporation (SIDEC) and committed to a joint investment towards expanding Desamall on TikTok Shop together with the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW). 

Finally, the platform participated in a festival with the Putrajaya City Council where it was the official partner for two consecutive weeks to host a series of livestream sessions, on-ground cooking show activations with top creators, and consultation booths to promote local MSMEs and homegrown products. 

"TikTok Shop is uniquely positioned to help local businesses of all sizes to scale and be future proof through shoppertainment. By collaborating with key government agencies and ministries, we have trained thousands of rural and urban entrepreneurs to not only sell online, but to also tap into social commerce through content, affiliate creators, and livestreaming. Today, more than a million sellers across the country, 98% of whom are MSMEs, are on our platform," said TikTok Shop Malaysia's director of strategic partnerships, Nur Azre Abdul Aziz.

"We hope to continue enabling local MSMEs to authentically connect with their communities and build a sustainable customer base and we are grateful for the continued support and trust from our government partners," she added. 

This comes after TikTok reportedly pushed back against the Malaysian government's plans to tighten laws surrounding social media.

Speaking at a panel discussion on regulating social media, Anuar urged the government against taking a top-down approach to moderating content on social media, according to the South China Morning Post.

He reportedly said that the approach could "easily impinge on the rights of users to freedom of speech and expression", adding that self-regulating is critical and if there is a licensing regime or framework, TikTok will embrace it. 

Anuar reportedly added that there is a "critical need" to differentiate between propaganda, misinformation and disinformation and how there are grey areas that may breach freedom of expression, as well as freedom of speech. 

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