BATU PAHAT: Banks and government officials have been urged to place their trust in women entrepreneurs by making it easier for them to apply for higher amounts of financial assistance or loans, deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.
Zahid, who is minister for rural and regional development, said women entrepreneurs could be better paymasters with a higher level of trust compared with their male counterparts.
”For example, in the case of Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia, the repayment rate by women entrepreneurs was higher than men. AIM was able to collect 99.8% of its loans offered to women entrepreneurs,” he said.
He urged financial institutions, the entrepreneur development and cooperatives ministry as well as the rural and regional development ministry to give priority to applications by women entrepreneurs for loans or financial assistance.
“They need financial assistance in the form of micro-credit or loans for bigger capital investment. Nobody should look down or underestimate the prowess of women entrepreneurs in the country,” he said.
Zahid urged government officials to go down to the ground to offer guidance, support and services in efforts to produce more successful women entrepreneurs.
He also urged women entrepreneurs to seize the huge potential in the halal industry with foreign demand and exports reaching US$1.3 trillion.
“I hope women entrepreneurs can look at the foreign market because halal products are not limited to just food, but also involve medical and pharmaceutical products and services,” he said when opening a women entrepreneurs carnival here today.
Risda chairman Noraini Ahmad, who is MP for Parit Sulong, was among those present. - FMT
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