MIRI: The Miri Youth Empowerment Expo 2025 (Ekspo Pemerkasaan Belia Miri 2025) was officially launched today with a mission to bring the aspirations of the MADANI Youth Development Model 2030 into real-world impact, especially for Sarawak’s diverse and dynamic youth.
The initiative is spearheaded by the Sarawak Indigenous Intellectuals Association (Persatuan Intelektual Pribumi Sarawak – PERANTIS) in collaboration with the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD), Sarawak Regional Skills Development Department, and the P219 Miri Parliamentary People’s Service Centre.
It is geared towards enhancing youth empowerment, resilience and sustainable development through targeted programmes.
Gracing the event as guest of honour was Works Minister cum AFPPD Malaysia Chairman, Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi.
He called for sustained recognition of youth as vital agents of national progress.
“We must actively support our young people, especially those in rural, semi-urban and indigenous communities, as they face real challenges in education access, employment opportunities, skills training, and economic mobility,” he stressed in his address.
Acknowledging these hurdles, Nanta commended PERANTIS for its leadership in uniting key partners and stakeholders to drive impactful programmes across the region.
The expo offers a wide range of initiatives focused on nurturing entrepreneurial talent, promoting financial literacy, and linking youth with opportunities in vocational education and emerging sectors.
The key programme highlights are entrepreneurship workshops, culinary arts workshops, investment and trading competitions, e-sports tournaments, as well as career and education counselling booths.
The expo attracted impressive participation, with e-sports involving 200 participants in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (20 teams) and PUBG (21 teams), while the culinary courses were attended by 180 participants.
The event also attracted a broad representation from top Malaysian universities, including Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Curtin Malaysia, Swinburne, UTS, NMUC and Institut Perguruan Miri.
TVET institutions included ILP Miri, ADTEC Bintulu, GIATMARA Miri, KV Miri, PPKS, YAHOS College, and more, whereas government and corporate participation included PTPTN, MyFutureJobs (PERKESO) and IGTC 2.
As Malaysia prepares its youth for a rapidly evolving economic landscape, the expo held at Miri Indoor Stadium stands as a timely and inclusive platform for arming young Sarawakians with the knowledge, skills and networks needed to chart a meaningful path forward.
