MARA's Digital Initiatives Empowering Pico, Nano Entrepreneurs

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 18 (Bernama) -- The well-structured entrepreneurial ecosystem provided by Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA), including digitalisation initiatives, has the potential to empower entrepreneurs, particularly those in the pico and nano categories, to advance to the micro level.

Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development Datuk Rubiah Wang said the MARA initiative significantly benefits the group, including women entrepreneurs in rural areas, as well as in Sabah and Sarawak.

She said 55 per cent of the 55,000 entrepreneurs in the Rural and Regional Development Ministry's (KKDW) database fall under the pico entrepreneur category, and they should seize the opportunities offered through MARA's digitalisation initiatives to enhance their business competitiveness.

“I am satisfied with the efforts to develop entrepreneurs, but there is still much room for improvement.

“If we can upgrade pico and nano entrepreneurs to the micro level, it would be an achievement worth celebrating.” 

Rubiah said this at the Building Leaders and Entrepreneurial Society (BLESS TALK) Series 1/2025, which also featured MARA Deputy Director-General (Entrepreneurship) Datuk Zulfikri Osman and was attended by some 200 MARA entrepreneurs.

The pico category refers to entrepreneurs with annual sales of below RM60,000, while nano entrepreneurs have annual sales of between RM60,000 and RM150,000.

During the session, Rubiah also highlighted challenges Sabah and Sarawak entrepreneurs encountered, especially those related to training and skills development access.

In response, KKDW and its agencies, especially MARA, said they would continue to strengthen the entrepreneurial support system to ensure that the programmes implemented have a meaningful impact and create opportunities for entrepreneurs to penetrate international markets.

Also present at the event were MARA director-general Datuk Seri Azhar Abdul Manaf and Kedah Regional Development Authority (KEDA) general manager Ismasuhaimi Shariff.

-- BERNAMA