TAWAU: Women entrepreneurs in the district involved in cosmetic, beauty and local food industries are urged to explore overseas markets for their products, particularly Indonesia.
“Indonesia’s large population offers a significant market with high demand for local products, such as cosmetics, beauty products and food.” Said Political Secretary to State Finance Minister Datuk Rina Jainal.
Furthermore, there are various online marketing platforms using social media applications to help entrepreneurs sell their products, she said.
“However, entrepreneurs need to continue enhancing their knowledge and innovation skills to ensure product quality is guaranteed and meets international standards without causing harm to consumers,” she said after officiating the 4th Annual General Meeting of the Bumiputera Women Entrepreneurs Association Malaysia (Usahanita) at a hotel here on Saturday.
Rina, who is also Kukusan Assemblywoman, highlighted the crucial role of Usahanita Sabah in improving the economy of women entrepreneurs in the state over the past five years.
She said this was proven by the success of 100 members of Usahanita Sabah receiving the Executive Master in Beyond Economic University of Life WEBBB (Wealth, Brain, Beauty, Behaviour) in Kuala Lumpur on February 20, making them the largest group of award recipients in the country.
Rina also said that the award, presented by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, was a recognition of the efforts of Sabah entrepreneurs involved in small and medium-sized businesses.
“Usahanita is an excellent platform, not only for providing moral support but also for opening up opportunities for women to get more seriously involved in business,” she said.
Meanwhile, Rina said that in the Sabah Budget 2025, the government introduced another programme specifically to empower young women in entrepreneurship, called Daya Upaya Peluang Usahanita (Dayang).
“This programme offers attractive loans, guidance, mentoring sessions with industry experts, as well as effective marketing training, benefiting around 200 young women,” she said.
In addition, Usahanita Malaysia President, Syahirah Hani, urged more Bumiputera women in Sabah to join the association to enjoy the many benefits and entrepreneurship training available.
“We also encourage members to continue networking and collaborating to elevate local products to a higher level,” she said, adding that Sabah currently has 150 active members representing Tawau, Sandakan, Lahad Datu, Kota Marudu and Kinabatangan.