KUALA LUMPUR – Cooperatives and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) need to adopt digital business technology to stay competitive and relevant, said Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Datuk Ewon Benedict.
Although a technology-based economy has been around for a long time, he said the Covid-19 pandemic has forced many firms to realise the importance of digital technology in their business governance.
“Looking into this is important because these days, a lot of things can be done online. If cooperatives and SMEs can keep up with this trend, there is no doubt that they can stay ahead and reap greater business returns,” he told a press conference after launching the “Superapps TaptapLah” application developed by Koperasi Tanjong Keramat Malaysia Bhd here today.
Ewon in his opening speech earlier said the use of digital technology by cooperatives can attract the youth to venture into the sector, which has a membership of seven million and total assets of RM156.18 billion.
In the meantime, Ewon said his ministry will continue the transformation agenda, strengthen the previous administration’s existing policies and action plans, and intensify inter-ministerial cooperation for resource optimisation.
“I have also stated that our ministry and its agencies will give more attention to Sabah and Sarawak based on their needs, which we will learn through engagement and briefings,” he said. – Bernama, December 22, 2022