Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), Facebook and AVANA announced the launch of the “Made by Malaysia, Loved by the World” programme, which aims to assist and empower at least 2,000 business owners and entrepreneurs across Malaysia to export overseas.

The programme will provide SMEs in Malaysia with training and resources, such as online tools to help them grow their businesses internationally.

The public-private partnership will help SMEs gain the marketing skills they need to reach to global consumers through Facebook.

The facilitation includes training programmes by Facebook and AVANA in seven cities, such as Kota Kinabalu (Sabah), Kuching (Sarawak), Kuala Lumpur, Georgetown (Penang), Johor Bahru (Johor), Alor Setar (Kedah), and Kota Bahru (Kelantan).

Throughout these events, MATRADE will be enhancing the awareness on its eTRADE Programme to SMEs. The eTRADE Programme offers SMEs financial assistance valued at RM5,000 which can be utilised for “Made by Malaysia, Loved by the World” programme.

Speaking at launch, Ir. Dr. Mohd Shahreen Zainooreen Madros, CEO of MATRADE, said, “I am encouraged to see private sector collaboration, particularly between global and local players, to support the government's strategic objectives. In ASEAN, e-Commerce has become increasingly important. Collectively, with 641 million people, a USD2.77 trillion GDP and per capita income of USD4, 305, the region is a huge market for e-Commerce.”

“Today, people have benefited a lot from digital technology so much so they can sell to the buyers in a different continent just by using their mobile phones. There are now close to 400 million mobile subscriptions, over 370 million people connected to the internet and over 150 million smart phones users. The numbers are very encouraging and are expected to increase significantly in the next few years,” he added.

Nicole Tan, Country Director at Facebook Malaysia, shared, “At Facebook, we want to enable connections, not just transactions. With more than 2.2 billion people on Facebook worldwide, our goals is to help SMEs find people who share the same passion for their products and services. Already 87 million people on Facebook from around the world are connected to an SME Page on Facebook in Malaysia - and as people's preferences and purchases become more global, there is tremendous opportunity for Malaysian SMEs to find new customers beyond borders.”

Malaysia is the third launch of this programme for Facebook, after successful runs in South Korea and Taiwan. Built upon Facebook's marketing solutions and insights, AVANA's e-commerce platform, and MATRADE’s deep experience in bridging Malaysian companies and global markets, #MadeByMalaysia’s curriculum will focus on equipping SMEs to use Facebook and AVANA to attract international customers and educate them on financial resources available from MATRADE's eTRADE program to enable them to export.

Luqman Adris, CEO and Co-Founder of AVANA, added: “As the largest home-grown social commerce platform in Malaysia with regional footprint, we understand the challenges and opportunities that local SMEs face in expanding abroad. AVANA helps businesses to automate their processes and make better business decisions. Malaysia is a mobile-first and innovative country, where people and businesses are comfortable exploring new technologies. #MadeByMalaysia will capitalise on this advantage to help Malaysian SMEs reach global audiences.”

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