Latest news with #AWES2025
New Straits Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
UOB Malaysia reaffirms support for Asean growth and inclusive leadership
KUALA LUMPUR: UOB Malaysia has reaffirmed its commitment to Asean's growth, highlighting inclusive leadership and the empowerment of women in entrepreneurship, leadership and sustainability as key to unlocking the region's full potential. The statement comes as UOB Group marks its 90th anniversary. UOB Malaysia chief executive officer Ng Wei Wei said women entrepreneurs, like their male counterparts, face barriers in accessing financing, knowledge, digital tools and networks needed to scale their businesses and navigate a fast-changing digital economy. "We set up The UOB FinLab programme in 2019 to help SMEs grow. In recent years, we began focusing on women entrepreneurs across Malaysia and Singapore. "Through The FinLab, we have helped 1,200 of them to learn new digital tools and skills, navigate the economy, grow their businesses, and more importantly, build a strong ecosystem that helps them expand their networks," she said during the panel session titled "Global Power Hour: Women Pioneering Change Across Continents" held here yesterday. The session was part of the Asean Women Economic Summit 2025 (AWES 2025) and was moderated by Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Datuk Seri Utama Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz. Ng shared the stage with Indonesia's vice minister of trade Dyah Roro Esti Widya Putri and Cambodia's minister of commerce Chan Nimul. Themed "Empowering Women, Energising Asean: Pioneering Economic Integration for a Resilient Tomorrow", AWES 2025 underlined the importance of placing women at the heart of Asean's economic transformation amid global uncertainty and digital disruption. The two-day inaugural summit was held alongside the 46th Asean Summit under Malaysia's 2025 Chairmanship. It drew more than 700 delegates from government, business and civil society to chart a more inclusive and resilient economic future. UOB Malaysia was the main sponsor of AWES 2025, with Kuok Brothers Sdn Bhd as the empowerment partner.
Barnama
27-05-2025
- Business
- Barnama
UOB Malaysia Reaffirms Support For ASEAN Growth And Inclusive Leadership
KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 (Bernama) -- UOB Malaysia has reaffirmed its commitment to ASEAN's growth, highlighting inclusive leadership and the empowerment of women in entrepreneurship, leadership and sustainability as key to unlocking the region's full potential. The statement comes as UOB Group marks its 90th anniversary. UOB Malaysia chief executive officer Ng Wei Wei said women entrepreneurs, like their male counterparts, face barriers in accessing financing, knowledge, digital tools and networks needed to scale their businesses and navigate a fast-changing digital economy. 'We set up The UOB FinLab programme in 2019 to help SMEs grow. In recent years, we began focusing on women entrepreneurs across Malaysia and Singapore. 'Through The FinLab, we have helped 1,200 of them to learn new digital tools and skills, navigate the economy, grow their businesses, and more importantly, build a strong ecosystem that helps them expand their networks,' she said during the panel session titled 'Global Power Hour: Women Pioneering Change Across Continents' held here yesterday. The session was part of the ASEAN Women Economic Summit 2025 (AWES 2025) and was moderated by Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Datuk Seri Utama Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz. Ng shared the stage with Indonesia's vice minister of trade Dyah Roro Esti Widya Putri and Cambodia's minister of commerce Chan Nimul. Themed 'Empowering Women, Energising ASEAN: Pioneering Economic Integration for a Resilient Tomorrow', AWES 2025 underlined the importance of placing women at the heart of ASEAN's economic transformation amid global uncertainty and digital disruption. The two-day inaugural summit was held alongside the 46th ASEAN Summit under Malaysia's 2025 Chairmanship. It drew more than 700 delegates from government, business and civil society to chart a more inclusive and resilient economic future.
Daily Express
27-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Express
Sarawak to supply power to Sabah
Published on: Tuesday, May 27, 2025 Published on: Tue, May 27, 2025 By: Bernama Text Size: Sarawak expects to generate 10 gigawatts of energy production by 2030 and 15 GW by 2035. — File picture by Shafwan Zaidon KUCHING: Sarawak is stepping up plans to deeply integrate into the Asean Power Grid, says Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg (pic). According to him, the East Malaysian state had been supplying electricity to West Kalimantan, Indonesia, for the past six years, and it is currently in the process of supplying electricity to Brunei. 'Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) has asked me to study the possibility of supplying power from Sarawak to Sabah and to connect to Brunei. 'Sarawak will play its part to contribute to the Asean Grid,' he said at the Sustainable Leadership Fireside ChatLeading Asean's Sustainable and Digital Frontier at the Asean Women Economic Summit 2025 (AWES 2025) held in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, as reported by Bernama. Abang Johari said Sarawak was also actively enhancing its grid infrastructure to strengthen power distribution across the state and beyond. 'Sarawak has targeted to generate 10 gigawa s (GW) of energy production by 2030 and 15 GW by 2035.' Advertisement The session was moderated by UOB Malaysia chief executive officer (CEO) Ng Wei Wei. UOB Malaysia is the main sponsor of AWES 2025, with Kuok Brothers Sdn Bhd as the empowerment partner. On women and leadership, Abang Johari said the role should be assigned based on merit and qualifications, rather than gender, while societal acceptance of women as leaders is crucial in the right step forward. Citing examples, he said India's Indira Gandhi and Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto who had served as prime minister in their respective countries, had shown that despite societal biases, effective leadership could rise above gender-based limitations. He also said the societal acceptance of women in leadership roles is crucial, as some Asian cultures still face gender bias, but examples like Indira Gandhi and Benazir Bhutto show that change is possible. On another matter, Abang Johari said the Sarawak government was optimistic that hydrogen production energy costs could be reduced to just 10 kilowatt hours per kilogramme (kWh/kg), down from the current 30 kWh/kg, through strategic collaborations with global partners. 'This target is achievable through ongoing cooperation with renowned German energy company Siemens Energy, as part of the state's efforts to enhance the energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness of hydrogen production. 'What I am saying here is that we are moving towards clean hydrogen,' he said during the AWES panel session, which was reported by the Sarawak Public Communications Unit (Ukas). Abang Johari further said through joint research efforts with the Petronas Research Division and a Japanese company, Sarawak had successfully reduced energy consumption for hydrogen production from 60 kWh/kg to 30 kWh/kg, using new membrane technology. 'This research not only saves energy, but also helps Sarawak meet environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards.' Abang Johari also stressed that clean energy development would be a significant contribution by Sarawak and Malaysia toward creating a more sustainable and environmentally friendly world. The two-day inaugural AWES 2025, which kicked off last Saturday, was held on the sidelines of the 46th Asean Summit, held under Malaysia's 2025 Chairmanship. It was attended by over 700 delegates representing government, business, and civil society across Asean. Themed 'Empowering Women, Energising Asean: Pioneering Economic Integration for a Resilient Tomorrow', AWES highlighted the urgent need to position women at the forefront of Asean's economic transformation, particularly in addressing current challenges such as global tariff wars, digital transformation, and sustainable development. It also featured discussion and strategic brainstorming sessions, leadership lab and mentorship programme. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Malaysian Reserve
25-05-2025
- Business
- Malaysian Reserve
Fadillah: Intra-ASEAN trade key to boosting palm oil demand amid global challenges
ROBUST intra-ASEAN economic activity vital to stimulate demand for palm oil products amid stricter private regulations, tariff uncertainties and other global economic challenges, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof (picture). He said that by focusing on intra-ASEAN cooperation and trade, more economic activities across member states both downstream and upstream sector can be stimulated, particularly in ensuring a resilient and self-sustaining growth engine. 'Malaysia and Indonesia are the biggest states in the palm oil production… with all the restrictions from the world, including introduction of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), there is a restriction for us to export our products to the overseas markets. 'If we can focus on ASEAN, then we create more activities between the ASEAN member states, so that it will be enough to sustain our economic activities and benefit entire ASEAN population,' he said at the Luncheon Power Talk Shared Prosperity: The New Imperative for ASEAN's Economic Growth at the ASEAN Women Economic Summit 2025 (AWES 2025) held at a hotel (Shangri-La) here today. Fadillah also called for a more harmonising standards among ASEAN member countries through minimising the non-tariff barriers, strengthen the supply chains and open up to all the member states the benefit of the quality growth. 'Strengthening ASEAN is not just strategic, it is necessary to safeguard our shared prosperity and deliver tangible benefits to the entire ASEAN population,' he said, adding that regional trade, investment, and connectivity must be enhanced to build a more resilient and competitive single market. Citing an example of active cross-border trade, Fadillah said active cross-trade activities can be seen among Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. 'Such efforts should be facilitated to ensure greater cross-border trade is created for the benefit of ASEAN citizens,' he added. The two-day inaugural AWES 2025, which began Saturday, was held on the sidelines of the 46th ASEAN Summit, held under Malaysia's 2025 Chairmanship. It was attended by over 700 delegates representing government, business, and civil society across ASEAN. Themed 'Empowering Women, Energising ASEAN: Pioneering Economic Integration for a Resilient Tomorrow', AWES highlighted the urgent need to position women at the forefront of ASEAN's economic transformation, particularly in addressing current challenges such as global tariff wars, digital transformation, and sustainable development. It also featured discussions and strategic brainstorming sessions, leadership lab and mentorship programme. UOB Malaysia is the main sponsor of AWES 2025, with Kuok Brothers Sdn Bhd as the empowerment partner. — BERNAMA
Malay Mail
25-05-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
DPM Fadillah calls for Asean member states to strengthen energy cooperation
KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 — Asean member states must strengthen regional energy cooperation as part of a shared prosperity strategy, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof. Fadillah, who is also Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister, said cross-border partnerships in the energy sector are already seen through collaborations between Laos, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore. 'For instance, Laos supplies energy to Singapore, but it must pass through Thailand and Malaysia, so Laos pays a wheeling fee for transmitting through our power grid. 'However, sometimes during winter, water sources freeze and the supply is disrupted. At that point, Laos may draw power from Thailand and Malaysia to continue supplying Singapore. This shows how Asean member states support and help one another.' He told reporters this after the Luncheon Power Talk session — Shared Prosperity: The New Imperative for Asean's Economic Growth held in conjunction with the Asean Women Economic Summit (AWES) 2025 here today. Singapore currently imports up to 100 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy from Laos through a cross-border initiative called the Lao PDR-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore Power Integration Project (LTMS-PIP). This will double to a maximum of 200MW of renewable hydropower, with supply from Malaysia as well. Fadillah said Malaysia remains committed to implementing the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) and is actively working towards realising the Asean Power Grid to establish a connected and sustainable energy ecosystem. Citing the recent gas pipeline explosion in Putra Heights, Fadillah said Malaysia had entered into discussions with Thailand to supply gas to the country's northern region, following the shutdown of the affected pipeline. 'This is how we help one another. This is what we call shared prosperity. Only through sharing and mutual support can Asean become stronger and more competitive,' he said. Fadillah noted that one of the country's key challenges is ensuring a stable energy supply or baseload, which cannot be guaranteed by weather-dependent sources such as solar and wind. As such, Malaysia currently relies on coal, gas and diesel. However, he added, the world is now moving towards clean energy sources such as hydrogen, nuclear, hydropower, and biogas produced by palm oil waste and industrial by-products. Meanwhile, Fadillah said Malaysia remains committed to empowering women in all aspects of national development, including entrepreneurship, employment and capacity building, in line with the shared prosperity approach. He said this commitment is evident through efforts to promote women's empowerment, particularly in education policy, with women now dominating higher education institutions and increasingly excelling in technical and professional fields. Fadillah added that the shared prosperity agenda extends to all segments of society, including women and those living in rural or marginalised areas. 'We must create space and opportunities for women and groups that may have been left behind. For example, those in remote rural areas... we need to close the gaps, including the digital divide, development disparities, and the gap between policy and implementation,' he said. The session was moderated by Kuok Brothers Sdn Bhd managing director and K3 Ventures founder Kuok Meng Xiong. UOB Malaysia is the main sponsor of AWES 2025, with Kuok Brothers Sdn Bhd as the empowerment partner. The two-day inaugural AWES 2025, which began Saturday, was held in conjunction with the 46th Asean Summit, held under Malaysia's 2025 Chairmanship. It was attended by over 700 delegates representing government, business, and civil society across Asean. Themed 'Empowering Women, Energising Asean: Pioneering Economic Integration for a Resilient Tomorrow', AWES highlighted the urgent need to position women at the forefront of Asean's economic transformation, particularly in addressing current challenges such as global tariff wars, digital transformation, and sustainable development.. It also featured discussion and strategic brainstorming sessions, leadership lab and mentorship programme. — Bernama
