Entrepreneurs, Critical Component Of M'sia's Drive To Achieve Developed Nation Status - Treasury Sec-Gen

JAKARTA, Aug 3 (Bernama) -- Entrepreneurs are a critical component of Malaysia's drive to achieve fully developed nation status by 2020, said Treasury Secretary-General Dr Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah. He said through their innovation, creativity and inherent willingness to embrace risk, entrepreneurs' contribution to the country’s growth was invaluable. "They are the cornerstones of the knowledge economy and integral to helping achieve our goal of becoming a high-income nation," said Irwan at the soft launch of the inaugural Global Entrepreneurship Community (GECommunity) by Prime Minister Najib Razak, held on the sidelines of the 12th World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) here Wednesday. Present were Musa Hitam, Chairman of the WIEF Foundation and Malaysian Ambassador to Indonesia Zahrain Mohamed Hashim. GECommunity is a joint-effort between the National Entrepreneurship Development Office under the Ministry of Finance, The Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre (MaGIC) and the Global Entrepreneurship Movement (GEM). It aimed to connect entrepreneurs, ecosystem leaders, policymakers, industry leaders, investors and community drivers to build a vibrant global entrepreneurship community. "Through GECommunity, we intend to create a global entrepreneurship ecosystem in which growth-oriented entrepreneurial business can thrive and contribute to innovation, employment and the economy," said Irwan, who is also Chairman of MaGIC and Patron of GEM. Earlier in his speech, Najib said Malaysia will host the first Malaysian Entrepreneurship Week in Kuala Lumpur from Oct 31 to Nov 3 as part of its continuing efforts to support entrepreneurship. -- BERNAMA