Advertisement

KUALA LUMPUR, 17th May, 2016, (WAM) -- Abdullah Al Saleh, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Economy for Foreign Trade and Industry Affairs, today led an official delegation to a meeting with Dr. Hafsah Hashim, CEO of the SME Corporation in Malaysia, the premier organisation for the development of progressive SMEs to enhance wealth creation and social well-being in Malaysia.


The meeting was held on the sidelines of the UAE delegation's participation in the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Annual Showcase, SMIDEX 2016, which opened in Kuala Lumpur today. A large number of SME's, companies, and multinational corporations will be showcasing their products and services over the two-day event.


During the meeting, which was attended by a number of interested parties from Malaysia, the two sides discussed cooperation opportunities in the fields of trade and economy through the SME sector in the UAE and Malaysia. Al Saleh and Dr. Hashim each gave a presentation on the role and development of the SME sector in their respective countries.

The Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Economy explained the recent steps taken by the UAE Government to implement SME laws, including the Cabinet decision to establish the Council of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and Projects, SMEs Council.


The SMEs Council, which has sponsored this trade trip to Malaysia, aims to boost SME's in the country through financing entrepreneurs, and on this trip, the council also hopes to promote national products and services as well as foster cooperation between the two sides.


The delegation also visited the Malaysian External Trade Development Corporation, MATRADE, where UAE SME owners were connected with potential business matches in Malaysia.


One member of the delegation, 30-year-old Hasna Mohammed Ahmed, founder and owner of eHorizon, a UAE company which provides internet service and develops smart applications, said that through this visit, she was able to explore what the Malaysian market has to offer to develop her growing business.


"Recently there has been a demand for marketing procurement, and the only way to do this is through digital marketing; by studying social media, the traffic to certain sites, etc., and so we came up with a digital marketing concept," she explained. "I am here looking for someone who is doing the same thing. I am also opening an e-commerce mixed channel soon and looking for buyers," added Hasna.


Another UAE business owner is 53-year-old Mustafa Al Hashemi, General Manager of UAE-based Smart Navigation Systems, a start-up specialising in location-based solutions. The family-run business has developed a smart indoor positioning and navigation mobile application where users, with the help of a smartphone, can receive indoor voice guided navigation, to find and explore places or items in shopping malls, museums and other buildings.


Al Hasemi said, "We are pleased to be among the UAE delegates attending SMIDEX 2016 in Malaysia. We have achieved our objective of being able to learn from the experience of the Malaysian government in supporting SMEs, as well as become exposed to new innovative solutions that are presented by Malaysian companies."

 

Source: http://www.kualalumpurnews.net/index.php/sid/244126395