MARA CHANNELS NEARLY RM25 MLN TO EMPOWER MELAKA BUMIPUTERA ENTREPRENEURS

MELAKA, Oct 13 (Bernama) -- Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) has channelled nearly RM25 million this year to support Bumiputera entrepreneur development in Melaka through entrepreneurship training, mentoring, advisory services, market access and industrial infrastructure development.

MARA chairman Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said the allocation has directly benefited almost 1,000 women entrepreneurs, reflecting the agency’s continued commitment to strengthening women’s participation in the economic and entrepreneurial sectors.

“Women are not only the backbone of families but also drivers of the nation’s economic growth. In Melaka alone, more than 5,000 Bumiputera women entrepreneurs are actively involved in food and beverage, tailoring, beauty, retail and digital services.

“MARA remains committed to empowering women entrepreneurs through training, mentorship, financing, and expanding market access locally and abroad. Currently, women own more than 20 per cent of businesses in Malaysia, the majority of whom are Bumiputera entrepreneurs,” he said in a statement last night.

The statement was issued in conjunction with the closing ceremony of the Kota Melaka MARA Women Empowerment Programme and the Malaysia MADANI Nationhood Seminar held at the Bandar Melaka MARA Professional College, which brought together 300 women entrepreneurs.

The programme also featured success stories of MARA women entrepreneurs, a digital literacy workshop by OMG Academy, inspirational sharing sessions by successful entrepreneurs, and a talk by the Malaysia Nationhood Academy.

Asyraf Wajdi said that apart from providing financial support and grants, the Melaka MARA also manages 39 business premises projects comprising 461 rental lots, benefiting 129 women entrepreneurs.

He said such initiatives are expected to generate positive spillover effects on Melaka’s overall economic development.

“I hope programmes like this will continue to inspire women entrepreneurs to expand their ventures and eventually penetrate global markets, in line with the Bumiputera Economic Transformation Plan 2035 (PuTERA35), which emphasises inclusive and balanced prosperity,” he added.

-- BERNAMA