KUCHING: Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) Sarawak introduced four series of grants to support Bumiputera entrepreneurs and foster business growth last year.
MARA council member, Ajar @ Siti Ajar Yasin, said that the four matching grants, namely MERIT, ADAPT, BEST and DIGITALBIZ with a total allocation of RM1.1 million, had benefited 610 recipients.
“Of this number, 348 recipients were women. As of April 2025, for the MERIT, ADAPT, BEST and DIGITALBIZ training and matching grants, MARA Sarawak has allocated RM1.2 million, which has been offered to 398 recipients.
“As of May 2025, MARA has financed 153 entrepreneurs with a total of RM19.5 million and among these, 60 women entrepreneurs had received funds worth RM4.2 million.
“This amount also includes 21 women entrepreneurs who were awarded with RM715,000 under the DanaNita scheme,” she said.
She said this in her speech at the Santubong Women Empowerment programme officiated by Women, Family and Community Development Minister, Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, at Jamilah Hall, Yayasan Sarawak, here on Saturday.
Aside from financial aid, MARA Sarawak also provided 383 business premises at a reasonable rental rate where about 370 units of the premises are occupied.
“Among the reported number, 153 premises are successfully operated by women entrepreneurs.
“All the efforts are aligned with last year’s MARA initiatives scheme, which is the MARA Community Women’s Empowerment Action Plan 2025 to 2030 that was launched here in December, including 17 strategic initiatives that aims to strengthen the role of entrepreneurship, women’s education in leadership as well as the field and community development,” she added.
She said that women’s empowerment is not just a slogan but a long-term commitment that requires the cooperation of various government agencies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the private sector, and the community itself.
“Skills training, lifelong education, entrepreneurship support as well as awareness of women’s rights must be made as the main agenda in making a step on women’s development efforts,” she said.