Penang govt launches digital campaign to assist SMEs amidst pandemic

GEORGE TOWN: The Penang government has launched the 'Penang SME Go Digital' campaign to assist small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the state.

Digital Penang chief executive officer Tony Yeoh said perks offered under the campaign include a one-off RM1,000 grant to help SMEs get back on track amidst the challenging pandemic period.

The SMEs would be eligible for the one-off grant to offset the cost of selling on a business-to-business marketplace, which is a collaborative effort between the state government and Digital Penang.

"SMEs can expect to find attractive offerings by our strategic partners, namely Facebook, SME Association of Malaysia, Averest, Maxis, Digi Telecommunications, E3Hubs and Sitegiant Sdn Bhd during this two-month campaign which starts next month.

"With cash vouchers, fee waivers, and up to 50 per cent discounts, I encourage SMEs to take advantage of this campaign and try selling online," he said in a speech at the launch of the campaign here today.

Yeoh added that through the campaign, SMEs can also utilise the National Economic Recovery Plan (PENJANA) grants of up to RM5,000 to sell online.

"For SMEs that are interested to begin their digital journey, the biggest question may be 'where to start?'. The Penang Go Digital Campaign is designed to help SMEs answer this question," he said.

Yeoh added that the state government's initiative to help local businesses managed to generate RM583 million in sales from June 2020 to February 2021 on the online platform, PG Mall, which is on the Shopee website, with a total of 15,000 sellers.

-- BERNAMA