Sabah to extend SME-UP Grant to service businesses
Ewon Benedick said the proposal has gone before the state cabinet and expressed confidence that it would be included in the Sabah Budget.
Sabah will broaden eligibility for its SME-UP Grant to include service businesses, Deputy Chief Minister III Datuk Ewon Benedick said. The scheme currently covers only manufacturing and production businesses among the state’s micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
Speaking to reporters in Beluran on Nov 15, Ewon said the proposed expansion had been presented to the state cabinet. He expressed confidence that it would be included in the Sabah Budget.
Ewon, who also holds the Industrial Development, Entrepreneurship and Transport portfolio, said he and Assistant Minister Datuk Jonnybone Kurum had received enquiries about eligibility from operators in tourism services, clinical services, legal services and retail.
The Department of Industrial Development and Research (DIDR) manages the assistance. Ewon said its existing scope covers machinery that processes raw materials into intermediate or finished goods, with the aim of helping MSMEs build capacity, improve competitiveness and develop their businesses.
Ewon also said he would chair the inaugural meeting of the Sabah Hawkers and Small Traders Consultative Council on Nov 18 to hear traders’ needs. He was speaking after officiating at the Beluran mini-carnival for Hawkers and Small Traders Day (HPPK) 2026. Further editions are scheduled for Kota Marudu, Putatan and Kota Belud in November and December.
