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Daily Express
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Express
RM10 million for young women entrepreneurs
Published on: Thursday, June 05, 2025 Published on: Thu, Jun 05, 2025 By: Marutin Ansiung Text Size: Azizah said through the Dayang programme, young women entrepreneur can apply for a minimum loan of RM10, 000 and a maximum of RM50, 000. Tenom: The Sabah Government has allocated RM10 million through a collaboration between the Institute for Development Studies (IDS) Sabah and the Sabah Credit Corporation (SCC) to empower young women entrepreneurs in the State. 'The fund is channelled through loans to young women entrepreneurs to help them expand their businesses,' said IDS Director Datuk Seri Azizah Mohd Dun Banir. She said the loan funding is implemented under the Young Women Entrepreneurs Empowerment Programme (Dayang) introduced by IDS and SCC which has been mandated by the Sabah Government to manage the initiative. 'This is an initiative by the Sabah Government led by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor to support young women entrepreneurs involved in various business sectors,' she told the media after officiating the Empowering Young Women Entrepreneurs: Women's Power, Economic Power programme organised by IDS and SCC in collaboration with the Tenom District Office at the Dewan Datuk Seri Panglima Antenom, here, Wednesday. Azizah said through the Dayang programme, young women entrepreneur can apply for a minimum loan of RM10, 000 and a maximum of RM50, 000. She added that with this loan funding, they can expand their businesses while improving the quality of their products. 'We are confident that the products of our young women entrepreneurs can penetrate the international market if they continue to receive support. In fact, some products from young women entrepreneurs have already entered the global market,' she said, referring to entrepreneur Emily Jeneble, a handicraft entrepreneur from Kampung Batu Lunguyan in Sook, renowned for her expertise in bamboo weaving. Azizah said Emily not only produces bamboo-woven products such as handbags and souvenirs but has also successfully assisted over 300 women beneficiaries in her village and surrounding areas. 'Her efforts have helped generate sustainable income for rural women in Sabah. I understand that the annual sales from the Kampung Batu Lunguyan community exceed RM500, 000 per year, a very impressive figure,' she added. Earlier in her speech, Azizah said the programme helps realise the initiatives outlined in the Sabah Budget 2025. She said in the budget, the government announced financial incentives and capital assistance specifically for young women entrepreneurs through the Empowering Young Women Entrepreneurs Programme. 'Among the objectives of this programme is to assist young women in venturing into business, particularly in overcoming capital constraints. This is because the government recognises and respects the role of young women as agents of change in Sabah's socio-economic landscape,' she said. In this regard, she said IDS and SCC have been mandated by the government to manage this programme by introducing the Dayang loan scheme. 'The combination of expertise between a research body and a financial institution will ensure more efficient program implementation, focusing on the impact on young women entrepreneurs. This is the first collaboration of its kind and IDS hopes it will continue to help the Sabah Government enhance various entrepreneurial programs in the State,' she said. She said that after being launched by Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun on Feb 27, 2025, at the Sabah International Convention Centre in Kota Kinabalu, the Young Women Entrepreneurs Empowerment Tour Series 1 was held in Beaufort and Ranau. At the same time, Azizah encouraged young women entrepreneurs to make the most of the opportunities provided. 'You may be eligible for this loan to start a new business or expand an existing one,' she said. She also urged young women entrepreneurs in the district to view entrepreneurship not just as a means of livelihood but as a platform to empower communities, preserve heritage and build a brighter future. Present were SCC Deputy Chairman Datuk Surinam Sadikun, IDS Chief Executive Officer Datuk Dr Ramzah Dambul, SCC Chief Executive Officer Datuk George Taitim Tulas and Melalap Community Development Leader Simon Mamat, among others. Some 300 women took part in the 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
Daily Express
06-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Express
Dayang: New initiative to empower young women traders
Published on: Tuesday, May 06, 2025 Published on: Tue, May 06, 2025 By: Ahmad Apong Text Size: Azizah visiting one of the booths at the event. BEAUFORT: The Sabah Government launched a new initiative aimed at empowering young women entrepreneurs across the State, offering financial assistance and business support to help overcome capital constraints. The programme, known as Daya Upaya Peluang Usahanita (Dayang), was highlighted during the closing ceremony of the Young Women Entrepreneurs Empowerment Programme held at Dewan Pa Musa last Saturday. The event was organised in collaboration between the Institute for Development Studies (IDS) Sabah and Sabah Credit Corporation, with support from the Beaufort, Sipitang, Kuala Penyu and Membakut district offices. The closing ceremony was officiated by IDS Chairperson Datuk Seri Azizah Mohd Dun who said these four districts were chosen as the first destinations for the roadshow series to promote the fund to target groups. 'I sincerely hope that many young women entrepreneurs from these four districts will take advantage of the facilities offered to elevate their businesses to higher, more advance and profitable levels,' she said. The initiative was first announced during the Sabah State Budget 2025 tabled on November 15, 2024, as a specific financial incentive and capital assistance programme for young women entrepreneurs. 'This programme represents one of the government's efforts to help overcome the main obstacle facing young women in business, namely, capital constraints,' Azizah said. She said the collaboration between IDS' research expertise and the Sabah Credit Corporation would ensure more efficient programme implementation focused on making a meaningful impact on young women entrepreneurs. 'This type of cooperation is being conducted for the first time and IDS hopes this collaboration will continue to help the State Government enhance various entrepreneurship programs in Sabah,' she added. Azizah noted that Sabah has Malaysia's highest rural population, exceeding 60 per cent, which influences the economic ownership gap between urban and rural areas. 'Economic and entrepreneurial opportunities, especially in business, are more numerous, larger and more accessible in urban areas. While, the size of the economy and entrepreneurship in rural areas remains smaller for now,' she said. The Dayang programme aims to address this imbalance by strengthening rural economies through women's participation. 'Global observations show that women are important agents of social transformation through economic participation, ownership and mastery,' Azizah said, quoting former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan 'When women thrive, all of society benefits and succeeding generations are given a better start in life.' The Dayang programme not only provides financial loans to start or expand existing businesses but also offers a continuous support ecosystem in all 30 districts of Sabah where these entrepreneurs operate. 'The support provided by IDS is based on a mentor-mentee concept,' Azizah said. 'Support elements include building capacity and skills over time and facilitating market access. Most importantly, we also help them create social capital through networking with other grassroots entrepreneurs in their respective localities,' she added. She encouraged young women entrepreneurs from Beaufort, Sipitang, Membakut and Kuala Penyu to make the best use of this opportunity to start, expand and advance their businesses, noting that business expansion can create downstream businesses and, more importantly, employment opportunities for local residents. 'I pray that we will achieve much success through this effort,' she said. The event also included a Raya celebration as it took place during the month of Syawal, providing an opportunity for attendees to strengthen relationships while enjoying prepared refreshments. * Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss. * 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
Daily Express
25-04-2025
- Daily Express
Discharge for trio in gold mine case
Published on: Friday, April 25, 2025 Published on: Fri, Apr 25, 2025 By: Cynthia D Baga Text Size: Fung (front, left)), his son Tek Yong, daughter Choon Fung together with their counsel Zahir leaving the court after the proceedings. Kota Kinabalu: A father and his two children were given a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) from the charges of cheating the Sabah Government by submitting fake documents related to the sale of gold ingots from the mining of precious mineral in Bukit Mantri, Tawau, which caused a loss of more than RM1.3 million to the State Government. Sessions Court Judge Jason Juga made the order for Datuk Lo Fui Ming, former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Wullersdorf Resources Sdn Bhd, his son, Lo Teck Yong, former Director of the same company, and his daughter, Lo Choon Fung, Director of Southsea Gold Sdn Bhd, on Thursday. The court gave DNAA to the trio following an application by the prosecution who asked for the DNAA. Earlier, the prosecution informed the court that there was a new development pertaining to the case which was supposedly for mention to know the outcome of the representation letter. The prosecution stated that the application was subject to future developments adding that, should the case progress differently than expected, the prosecution would proceed with the charges. Defence counsel Zahir Shah confirmed that he had been informed of the prosecution's application earlier in the day. Zahir has no objection to the application and requested the passports and bail amounts be returned to the trio. Fu Ming, 69, and Teck Yong, 43, were accused of cheating the Sabah Government, namely the Department of Lands and Surveys by not reporting the quantity of gold bars and illegally selling them to a private company while knowingly causing financial losses to the state. The charges stated that they allegedly submitted the fake documents by cheating the State Government through the Land and Surveys Department for declaring incomplete items sold in their gold mining project. The offence allegedly committed between 2019 and 2023 at the Land and Surveys Department office, here. Fui Ming faces 24 charges under Section 418 of the Penal Code for cheating, with knowledge that wrongful loss may ensue a person whose interest the offender is bound to protect. Meanwhile, Teck Yong faces 24 charges under Section 109 of the Penal Code for abetting the crime which carries a jail term of up to seven years, or a fine, or both upon conviction. Fung Ming and Choon Fung were jointly charged with four counts of using forged documents as genuine. The charges stated that both of them, had allegedly used four forged documents as genuine, namely letters under the name Southsea Gold Sdn Bhd titled 'Unauthorised Occupation Of Southsea Gold Lease Land For Mining Operations', dated March 3, 2020, Dec 10, 2020, Oct 13, 2021, and Jan 3, 2022, in which they had reason to believe that all four documents were fake. Counsel Norbert Yapp appeared in court as watching brief counsel for the Wullersdorf Resources Sdn Bhd. * Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss. * 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
