The youths play an important role as a socio economic force to achieve the State’s digital economy goals that would yield a high income and higher quality of living for the population as many show interest in pursuing computer science or ICT technologies in their studies in higher education.
As the State is focusing on the development of digital economy, the State’s Minister for International Trade and E-Commerce YB Wong Soon Koh said that technopreneurs culture among the youths in the state needs to be improved as there are still a lack in the right technopreneurship and entrepreneurship attitude and skills.
“However, there are emerging enterprises especially in the F & B sectors, in ICT, in hospitality and creative sectors (artpreneurship) particularly in the urban centres,” said YB Wong Soon Koh who is also the State’s Ministry for Finance (II) in his speech for a technopreneurship talk organised by Angkatan Zaman Mansang Sarawak (AZAM Sarawak) in collaboration with the US Embassy Kuala Lumpur on July 20th.
He added that a systematic approach and relevant mechanism would be necessary to reach out to those independent start-ups who might not be well informed on where to head for advice and support.
In the effort to help the youths to venture into entrepreneurship, YB Wong Sook Koh said that there are various programmes, initiatives and infrastructures provided to support entrepreneurship which includes the incentive and financial schemes by TERAJU and SUPERB and entrepreneur development initiatives by agencies such as SEDC, Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre (MaGIC), Borneo 744 and iCUBE; E-Commerce Transformation Plan (E-Com Y30).
By nurturing an innovative and creative ecosystem for technopreneurs necessary for the development of digital economy, it will create new job opportunities for the youths in both urban centres and rural areas allowing them to move forward with in par with international technopreneurs.