Programme focuses on developing rural entrepreneurs in Betong

SPAOH : Developing entrepreneurial skills and expanding business opportunities are key to strengthening household incomes and creating employment opportunities for rural communities, says Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development Datuk Rubiah Wang.

She said the participation of 500 entrepreneurs and community members in the MARA Women and Community Empowerment Programme 2026 reflected strong interest among rural women and communities in gaining business knowledge and exploring entrepreneurship.

“Entrepreneurship development should go beyond increasing individual incomes to creating job opportunities that would benefit the wider local community,” she when speaking at the programme held at the Spaoh Community Hall here on Sunday (Oct 18).

The programme was officiated by Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.

She said the programme is important in exposing the public, particularly women and housewives, to entrepreneurship as an avenue for generating income and building competitive careers.

She also encouraged participants to make full use of the opportunity to gain business information, knowledge and guidance to improve their ability to manage and expand their enterprises.

The programme is one of 17 initiatives under MARA’s 2025-2030 Women and Buyer Empowerment Action Plan, which focuses on developing the potential of women and communities through entrepreneurship.

Among the activities organised were briefings on the MARA ecosystem, business registration and the Akademi Kenegaraan Malaysia (AKM), aimed at helping participants understand the available facilities, procedures and opportunities they could leverage.

Participants included entrepreneurs from around Betong, the Spaoh community, tenants of MARA premises, recipients of MARA financing facilities and grants, as well as beneficiaries of schooling assistance from the MARA Education Foundation (YPM).