ASEAN has set up an information portal to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) explore market opportunities within and outside Southeast Asia. The ASEAN Coordinating Committee on Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (ACCMSME) launched ASEAN Access last week in time for the annual celebration of International MSME Day on 27 June this year.
Trade among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN accounts for the largest share of the region’s trade. In 2019, intra-ASEAN trade reached 22.5% of total merchandise.
In a news release, Dato’ Suriani binti Dato’ Ahmad, chair of ACCMSME and Secretary-General of the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives of Malaysia, said the launch of ASEAN Access is timely with businesses using digital platforms more to survive the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lockdowns and mobility restrictions to control the spread of the coronavirus disease severely affected businesses. E-commerce and other contactless platforms offered a way for enterprises to remain in business.
The ASEAN Access portal is designed to connect businesses to service providers in distribution, transportation and logistics, market research, and consulting services on intellectual properties, laws and regulations, among others. It provides trade-related information and market opportunities to help SMEs make informed decisions before entering a new market. The portal will also provide business matching services by the end of 2021.
Dr. Yanty Rahman, chair of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC), said “we should address the need to enhance business-to-business and people-to-people interaction through effective engagement and connectivity” so that efforts to recover from the pandemic serve the needs of the community.
ASEAN Access is a flagship initiative of ACCMSME. The project is spearheaded by the Office of SMEs Promotion (OSMEP) in Thailand and supported by the Federal Government of Germany and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).
The portal contributes to the implementation of the ASEAN Strategic Action Plan for SME Development 2016–2025, which promotes globally competitive micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises. The plan focuses on initiatives to promote productivity, technology, and innovation; increase access to finance, enhance market access and internationalization; enhance the policy and regulatory environment; and promote entrepreneurship and human capital development.