Kota Kinabalu: Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are urged to strengthen their support in empowering the women’s agenda to enable them to contribute more effectively to the economic progress and development of the State.
Sabah Institute of Development Studies (IDS) Chairman Datuk Seri Azizah Mohd Dun said the support can be translated through training programmes, education, entrepreneurship as well as women’s rights advocacy.
She said assistance from NGOs would open up space and opportunities for more women to be independent and improve their standard of living, thus making them more active in the economic and development sectors.
“We need to continue to support and collaborate with NGOs to ensure this effort can be continued and expanded.
“Through high-impact research and policy, IDS is committed to empowering women’s roles and talents.
“We need to ensure that women’s voices continue to be heard in the formulation of important policies and decisions,” she said during the Round-table Discussion on Empowering Women: Towards a More Inclusive Future (NGO Perspective) at SICC.
Azizah said women today are no longer just beneficiaries, but also change-makers in society.
She said women’s involvement in social activities would be able to empower the community through activities such as charity work, community service, education and welfare support, while by venturing into business, entrepreneurship and the employment sector, women would also help increase household income and stimulate economic growth.
“Based on studies, women’s participation in leadership in Sabah still requires a more structured effort, with women only holding 14 per cent of the composition of decision-makers in the State’s public sector, 22 per cent of board members and CEOs in GLCs.”They also hold only 24 per cent of board members and CEOs in state statutory bodies, while in a very low position as decision-makers in local authorities.
“However, on the other hand, 69.3 per cent of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) owners are women, indicating the dominance of women in the entrepreneurial sector,” she said.
Based on the data, it can be concluded that the figure still does not reflect the true potential of women in various sectors.
In this regard, Azizah said, women entrepreneurship programmes should be given more support to boost women in small and medium businesses through access to capital, training and a wider market.
“We must ensure that a more conducive business ecosystem is empowered to support women, where they are given space to be actively involved in the country’s socio-economic agenda.
“The Government has taken proactive steps in empowering women through various programmes, courses and training, and also guidance on financial management in the field of entrepreneurship where a total of 17,290 women have benefited,” she said.
She added that among the programmes implemented to strengthen the economy of women, especially single mothers and housewives who have lost their heads of households, is one based on the concept of “circular economy”, namely the Sustainable Development Economy Programme (Omega), in collaboration with Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).
