Kota Kinabalu: A TOTAL of 6,951 youths across Sabah have benefited from the State Government’s Syabas Youth Entrepreneurship Scheme (Syabas) since its introduction in 2022, with RM21 million disbursed to help young entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses.
Youth Development, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Minister Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan said 64 youth entrepreneurs from the Nabawan constituency were among those who had received assistance under the scheme.
“The Syabas scheme was introduced by the Sabah Government in 2022 and, to date, 6,951 youths have ventured into various types of businesses through the programme, involving a total allocation of RM21 million.
“Of this number, 64 youth entrepreneurs in Nabawan have qualified for assistance since the scheme was introduced,” he said when responding to a supplementary question from Nabawan Assemblyman Datuk Abdul Ghani Mohamed Yassin during the State Legislative Assembly sitting on Tuesday.
Nizam said the scheme had enabled many young Sabahans to build successful businesses, with some earning incomes running into millions of ringgit while marketing their products internationally.
Among the success stories, he said, were hydroponic vegetable entrepreneur Amran Jinik from Keningau and bakery and pastry entrepreneur Arliana Said from Tawau.
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“The ministry also provides follow-up support in the form of mentoring and guidance to ensure recipients are able to sustain their businesses and generate long-term income,” he said.
Nizam added that the ministry had established a database of Syabas recipients to monitor their progress and provide continued assistance where necessary.
On youth development programmes in Nabawan, he said the ministry had organised skills training, including a chicken meat processing course, to encourage youths to participate in downstream industries.
He said the ministry also implemented the Belia Turun Padang dan Santuni Masyarakat Kampung programme, focusing on leadership development, volunteerism, community development, social awareness and sports.
“For Nabawan, the programme was held in Sangka Liwagu, Sapulut, from April 15 to 17 this year, involving 247 participants comprising youths and members of the local community,” he said.
Earlier, replying to Abdul Ghani’s original question, Nizam said the State Government was creating more employment opportunities for youths and the B40 group by improving employability through short- and long-term skills training, strengthening youth entrepreneurship, expanding market access for entrepreneurs, and enhancing strategic collaboration with agencies such as the Human Resource Development Department and the Social Security Organisation (Perkeso).
He added that employment opportunities continued to grow in sectors including palm oil and food processing, tourism and services, construction and infrastructure, shipping and logistics, aquaculture and fisheries, as well as the digital and creative economy.
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