NURTURING women to become entrepreneurs is one of the steps to make them more independent and have an income, says state executive councillor Chong Eng.
Chong Eng, who is in charge of Social Development and Non-Islamic Religious Affairs, said by becoming woman entrepreneurs, they would have the privilege of better managing their time.
“This, in turn, will provide them with a more effective work-life balance.
“There is no doubt that there are women who have to stop working because they need to take care of their children.
“Some of them are also forced to take a long leave because they have to take care of their elderly parents and this has caused them to eventually quit their job.
“Thus, by venturing into entrepreneurship, it can help them to manage their daily routine effectively, and to avoid being over-dependent on their husband,” Chong Eng said in his speech during the Penang Women Entrepreneur Mentoring Programme (PWEMP) 3.0 certificate presentation ceremony at Ixora Hotel in Prai yesterday (Dec 18).
Also present were state Entrepreneurial Development, Trade and Industry Committee chairman Datuk Abdul Halim Hussain and Penang Women’s Development Corporation (PWDC) chief executive officer Ong Bee Leng.
According to Chong Eng, the Penang government through PWDC has carried out various initiatives and programmes over the years to assist women to become successful entrepreneurs.
“Among those initiatives is the PWEMP, which is a platform for women entrepreneurs to network.
“The programme also provide them with a good support system.
“This is in line with our objective to achieve the target of having 40% small-medium enterprises (SMEs) owned by women by the year 2030, and we need at least 100,000 women entrepreneurs.
“So, this programme is among the platforms to help realise the target,” she said.
Speaking about PWEMP 3.0, Chong Eng said the mentoring programme managed to attract 150 participants or mentees this year.
“And I hope that all the mentees who have benefited from this programme would become mentors to continue empowering women,” she added.
Story by Riadz Akmal
Pix by Alissala Thian