KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 29 (Bernama) -- On 28 August 2019, Facebook, together with MATRADE and AVANA, hosted an offline training with 80 SMEs to kick off the second phase of the Made by Malaysia, Loved by the World program. The second phase is aiming at training 1,000 SMEs in seven states across Malaysia. The program, which made its debut last year, also brought in a new partner, DHL Express, the globally leading express service provider, on this second phase, that is set to help SMEs navigate the complexities of international trade.
 
“Facebook is committed to helping fast forward the country's digital transformation by helping Malaysian small businesses grow both at home and abroad. Through the expansion of the Made by Malaysia program, Facebook will continue to invest more resources in Malaysia to equip more local SMEs with the tools, knowledge, and skills they need to be successful,” said Nicole Tan, Country Director for Malaysia at Facebook.
 
In Malaysia, there's still a lot of work to do to fully unlock the potential of SMEs; especially in the area of International trade. Using online services such as Facebook and Instagram to engage with customers and promote a business removes many of the geographical barriers that traditional brick-and-mortar businesses face.  This allows SMEs in Malaysia to expand across borders, allowing a business to seek international demand for their products or services at an early stage of the business lifecycle.
 
“It is pertinent for businesses today to be adequately proficient in the digital landscape for them to compete, especially when going for exports. We hope the Made By Malaysia program, together with our current eTRADE Programme, can help SMEs to pick up skills in market research and digital marketing, and develop or strengthen their e-commerce presence by adopting digital solutions to ensure their business grow beyond borders,” said Mr. Noraslan Hadi Abdul Kadir, Director of Digital Trade Section, MATRADE.
 
The phase two of the Made by Malaysia, Loved by the World program will host offline trainings in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Sabah, Sarawak, Pahang, Perak and Johor. During the training, SMEs will have the opportunity to learn a combination of Facebook’s marketing solutions and insights, as well as the partners’ deep experience in bridging Malaysian businesses with global markets.
 
With DHL joining hands in this program, Malaysian SMEs can also expect to get more insights and knowledge in cross-border logistics. “International logistics is an important factor for any company, especially in the e-commerce sector, looking to expand their reach beyond the country and to profit from the upward trend in cross-border online shopping. DHL is proud to be joining hands with Facebook to share insights and best practices that can help Malaysian SMEs succeed in cross-border logistics,” said Julian Neo, Managing Director, DHL Express Malaysia and Brunei.
 
To-date, 1000 small businesses and entrepreneurs have been trained in the Phase 1 of the Made by Malaysia, Loved by the World program. With 97%^[1] of SMEs on Facebook in Malaysia say that knowing how to promote products digitally, including on social media, is important to their business, the program aims to train 1000 more SMEs from September to December 2019. I’m very excited to see more business owners participating in Made by Malaysia program since the launch last year. Together with our partners from Facebook, MATRADE and DHL Express, AVANA will continue to equip Malaysian SMEs with the right digital knowledge, technology platform and more resources to scale up against their peers within the country and from around the globe,” said Luqman Adris, CEO & Founder of AVANA.
 
^[1] https://dataforgood.fb.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/170726-Future-of-Business-Survey-Trade-report-July-2017-6.pdf

For more information, on the Made by Malaysia, Loved by the World program, please visit: https://madebyyou.fb.com/my