Financial aid for women entrepreneurs paying off – Minister

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KUCHING: The Women Development Department, through the Sarawak Women’s Bureau, will collaborate with the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) to develop and empower women entrepreneurs in the state from next year onwards.

Women, Family and Community Development Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim said that through such collaboration, various new programmes will be established specifically for the state’s women entrepreneurs.

“Apart from the use of 14 Entrepreneur Guidance and Incubator Centres throughout Sarawak, the women entrepreneurs will be given exposure to the ins and outs of entrepreneurship such as ways to go about registering their business,” she told a press conference after officiating at the Women Entrepreneurship Seminar 2014 at a hotel here yesterday.

Earlier in her speech, Rohani said the government had created many opportunities, particularly for women to venture into entrepreneurship.

According to her, women entrepreneurs have made good use of the opportunities available to them in the country, of which Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia showed that many women have emerged to become successful entrepreneurs.

“Their success can be seen through their commitment such as paying off their loans without any problems,” she said, pointing out that as of Sept 30, around 347,907 women entrepreneurs have applied for loans with the Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia.

“Of the total, 36,889 women entrepreneurs are from Sarawak. Based on this record, all of them have consistently paid their loans,” she added.

Apart from that, other agencies such as the National Entrepreneur Group Economic Fund (Tekun) have also allocated additional funds, of which RM50 million have been allocated to the Professional Young Women Entrepreneurs Development Programme that goes toward funding 5,000 professional women.

Meanwhile, the seminar, organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development and Sarawak Women’s Bureau, was attended by some 300 participants comprising women entrepreneurs in the state.