KOTA KINABALU: It is important to empower young women to become competitive and successful entrepreneurs in Sabah.
State Community Development and People's Welfare Minister, Datuk Shahelmey Yahya said it can further raise the image of Sabah when millionaires among young women entrepreneurs were produced in the state.
"My ministry has set a caring and responsible society as the main thrust in fulfilling its responsibilities for community development and sustainable wellbeing of the people.
"Thus, the empowerment of women needs to be streamlined because women are seen as the driving force for human capital development, including economic aspects of the country.
"This seminar is very important to empower and encourage young women to become competitive entrepreneurs who are able to achieve success for themselves and further raise the image of Sabah by producing millionaires among young women entrepreneurs," Shahelmey said when speaking at the closing of the Creating Millionaires Among Young Women Entrepreneurs (CreaM@YWE) seminar here today.
He hoped the programme would benefit young women entrepreneurs amid the Covid-19 crisis.
"It is hoped that this programme can help you in improving your entrepreneurial knowledge, financial management knowledge as well as strengthen your marketing knowledge virtually or face-to-face."
Meanwhile, Sabah Women's Advisory Council (MPWS) chairman, Datuk Dr Tarsiah T.Z. Taman said young women entrepreneurs can be game changers and job creators in their field.
"Today's programme is a follow-up project after the first batch under CreaM@YWE succeeded in producing many entrepreneurs who have managed to achieve sales of more than RM250,000 per year.
"We also celebrated eight outstanding young entrepreneurs from the first batch of CreaM@YWE by giving them recognition and special awards for their perseverance and achievement in growing their business, especially in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"I hope all the 45 participants of CreaM@YWE for Batch 2 can make use of this programme as well as boost their morale and fighting spirit to achieve sales of more than RM1 million a year.
"They can be their own employers and "job creators" as well as empowering each other to succeed together," she said.
During the event, Aisyah Aqilah Manie Abdullah, 36, who owned Quality Confinement Home Sdn Bhd received a Golden Entrepreneur Award for achieving RM1.22 million and RM2.3 million sales in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
Aznie Husnida Hussin, 37, of Aura Marine Borneo Sdn Bhd and Siti Masitta Jaafar, 36, of DSM Enterprise received the Silver and Bronze Award, respectively.
Aznie and Siti achieved an average sales of RM600,000 and RM450,000 for the last three years.
Another five young entrepreneurs – Zaharina Mazair, 33, Neena Syazzana Zakri, 33, Hasrah Malik, 37, Jalina Johari, 36, and Noor Zanariah Mohd Tahir, 33, – received certificates for achieving an average sale of RM250, 000 per year.