Zahid: Boost financing for women entrepreneurs
KUALA LUMPUR: Women entrepreneurs in Malaysia should be provided with greater business financing, to support their expansion efforts, and facilitate entry into international markets.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that this initiative is particularly crucial for women entrepreneurs, who face challenges in accessing financial capital.
'We should also align the Global Women's Empowerment Fund scheme with an export financing initiative, tailored to support high-potential women entrepreneurs. This fund should prioritise export certification, participation in international expos, global branding, and logistics.
'The proposal to increase loan capital is justified. For instance, Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM), where nearly 100 per cent of borrowers are women, has maintained an impressively low non-performing loan (NPL) rate, of just 0.1 per cent,' he said.
He said this when officiating the Women in Export Forum 2025, jointly organised by the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) and the Malaysian Women and Family Affairs Organisation (Hawa), at Matrade today.
Also present were Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz; Matrade chairman Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican; and Hawa chairman Tan Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Minister of Rural and Regional Development, proposed the establishment of a Women Export Incubator - a one-stop centre designed to provide a comprehensive support ecosystem for women entrepreneurs aiming to enter the international market.
He emphasised that the incubator should offer export mentoring services, international certification training, co-working spaces, and digital business clinics, with a particular focus on supporting women from rural areas and the B40 group.
'I also propose the 'Anugerah Wira Ekonomi Wanita', to recognise female figures who have made a significant impact in trade, technology, the halal industry, and regional exports. This initiative will not only inspire enthusiasm, but also serve as a platform for economic diplomacy, enhancing Malaysia's global branding.
'At the same time, we must champion the Green Trade for Women, an initiative designed to train and support women in producing environmentally friendly products, which align with ESG (environmental, social, and governance) principles,' he said.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also the chairman of the National Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Council, emphasised the importance of leveraging the TVET platform to strengthen women's skills across various fields, including technology and entrepreneurship.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
43 minutes ago
- The Star
Kossan ramps up ESG drive
PETALING JAYA: Analysts view Kossan Rubber Industries Bhd 's initiatives in addressing environmental impact as a key component of the group's long-term operational strategy, with recent year-on-year improvements underscoring its commitment to sustainable manufacturing. According to Hong Leong Investment Bank (HLIB) Research, the group achieved measurable gains in emissions, water and waste management in 2024, despite broader challenges in the glove sector. These gains are said to align with the group's Kossan Sustainability Strategy and Blueprint 2035, which replaces its previous L.I.V.E. 12 framework and introduces more actionable targets to meet global environmental, social and governance (ESG) expectations. Kossan has set a target to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions intensity by 53.6% by 2035. HLIB Research noted that Kossan's technical rubber products division had achieved a 3.7% year-on-year reduction in emissions intensity to 2.37 carbon dioxide equivalent per kilogramme (CO2e/kg), driven by ongoing energy-saving measures. However, the group's overall emissions intensity remained flattish at 0.023 tonnes CO2e for every 1,000 pieces of gloves in 2024, due to the inclusion of fugitive emissions and the adoption of updated national emission factors for Scope 2 calculations. In water management, Kossan aims to cut water consumption intensity by 35% by 2035. HLIB Research kept its earnings forecasts for financial year 2025 (FY25) to FY27 and maintained its 'buy' call with an unchanged target price of RM2.30, citing the group's recovery remains on track.
The Sun
16 hours ago
- The Sun
KKDW sets up committee to oversee Sarawak rural projects
BETONG: The Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW) has established a Project Monitoring and Coordination Committee chaired by Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development Datuk Rubiah Wang to ensure the smooth implementation of rural development projects in Sarawak. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Rural and Regional Development Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the committee was established after his ministry found that there were delays and technical issues affecting the implementation of several projects, including problems related to land status. 'The establishment of this committee was the result of the decision of the KKDW meeting itself when we found that several projects were facing implementation problems, especially in terms of ownership or land status that had not been resolved,' he said. He told the media after officiating the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the road from Kampung Kupang to Simpang Jalan Bajau in Rumah Rengan, Saratok today. He said coordination between federal and state agencies was very important to speed up the implementation of the projects, especially those involving allocations of less than RM50 million. 'As decided by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, projects worth less than RM50 million will be handed over to the state government for implementation. 'This requires close coordination and we at KKDW will continue to provide full support to the state government in its implementation,' he explained. Ahmad Zahid also stated that under the committee, the scope of work for projects being implemented in Sarawak which currently cannot be changed due to several constraints will be done under the 13th Malaysia Plan. 'Currently, this is under the responsibility of the state government and although we have several constraints to change the scope, it is not impossible in the 13th Malaysia Plan if we can discuss in detail the joint implementation between the state government and the federal government,' he explained. Reviewing the infrastructure development in Sarawak, he praised the state government's initiative in building coastal roads which not only connect the route to the Pan Borneo Highway but also play an important role in connecting longhouses and traditional villages. One of the areas of responsibility for this coordination committee is to build a road connecting longhouses and traditional villages so that we do not face what is called denial syndrome by various parties, but it is better for the benefit of the people to do this coordination,' he added. 'This is also part of the KKDW's responsibility for and this is the main role of this coordination committee, which is to prevent the existence of 'denial syndrome' among stakeholders,' he said. He added that effective coordination will ensure that the planned development truly benefits the people, especially in the interior areas. Meanwhile, the construction of the road involves upgrading the existing main road connecting Kampung Kupang and Simpang Jalan Bajau, from a gravel road to a paved road according to the JKRR2 Standard, with an estimated length of 16.9 kilometres. It also involves upgrading the existing connecting road to the JKRR1 standard leading to the school and longhouse, namely: Jalan Cabang 1 to SK Sungai Entebu, 86 metres long, Jalan Cabang 2 to Rumah Anau, 86 metres long 100 metres, Jalan Cabang 3 to Rumah Lakon, 1,175 metres long, Jalan Cabang 4 to Rumah Rabiah, 1,646 metres long, construction of five reinforced concrete bridges, drainage systems, culverts, road pavement and shoulder as well as installation of road signs and road fixtures. The project, which began in January at a cost of RM112.9 million, is expected to be completed in Sept, 2027.
New Straits Times
16 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Govt sets up committee to fast-track rural development projects in Sarawak
BETONG: The Rural and Regional Development Ministry has set up a Project Monitoring and Coordination Committee, chaired by its Deputy Minister Datuk Rubiah Wang, to ensure smoother implementation of rural development projects in Sarawak. Deputy Prime Minister and Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the committee was formed after the ministry identified delays and technical issues affecting several projects, including problems related to land status. "The establishment of this committee was the result of a ministry-level decision, following the discovery that several projects were facing implementation challenges, particularly involving unresolved land ownership or status issues," he said. He was speaking to the media after officiating the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a road from Kampung Kupang to Simpang Jalan Bajau in Rumah Rengan, Saratok, today. He said coordination between federal and state agencies was crucial to expedite the implementation of projects, especially those involving allocations of less than RM50 million. "As decided by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, projects worth less than RM50 million will be handed over to the state government for implementation. "This requires close coordination and we at the ministry will continue to provide full support to the state government in its implementation," he said. Under the committee, Zahid said the scope of work for projects being implemented in Sarawak which currently cannot be changed due to several constraints will be done under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP). "Currently, this is under the responsibility of the state government and although we have several constraints to change the scope, it is not impossible in the 13MP if we can discuss in detail the joint implementation between the state government and the federal government," he said. Reviewing the infrastructure development in Sarawak, he praised the state government's initiative in building coastal roads which not only connect the route to the Pan Borneo Highway but also play an important role in connecting longhouses and traditional villages. One of the areas of responsibility for this coordination committee is to build a road connecting longhouses and traditional villages so that we do not face what is called denial syndrome by various parties, but it is better for the benefit of the people to do this coordination," he added. "This is also part of the ministry's responsibility and this is the main role of this coordination committee, which is to prevent the existence of 'denial syndrome' among stakeholders," he said. He added that effective coordination will ensure that the planned development truly benefits the people, especially in the interior areas. Meanwhile, the construction of the road involves upgrading the existing main road connecting Kampung Kupang and Simpang Jalan Bajau, from a gravel road to a paved road according to the JKRR2 Standard, with an estimated length of 16.9 kilometres. It also involves upgrading the existing connecting road to the JKRR1 standard leading to the school and longhouse, namely: Jalan Cabang 1 to SK Sungai Entebu, 86 metres long, Jalan Cabang 2 to Rumah Anau, 86 metres long 100 metres, Jalan Cabang 3 to Rumah Lakon, 1,175 metres long, Jalan Cabang 4 to Rumah Rabiah, 1,646 metres long, construction of five reinforced concrete bridges, drainage systems, culverts, road pavement and shoulder as well as installation of road signs and road fixtures. The project, which began in January for RM112.9 million, is expected to be completed in September 2027.
