KUALA LUMPUR – Women must be given more opportunities to build their own businesses and achieve financial independence to help reduce poverty, particularly among single mothers and vulnerable households, says Deputy Works Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Maslan.
He said while several districts in Malaysia had achieved zero hardcore poverty, relative poverty, especially in urban areas, remained a challenge.
“Efforts to eradicate hardcore poverty in Malaysia will continue. Several districts have already achieved zero hardcore poverty, but we recognise that relative poverty remains widespread, particularly urban poverty. This continues to be a major challenge,” he said.
Ahmad said poverty among women also required greater attention, especially among single mothers and women whose husbands had passed away.
He highlighted the role of Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM), which provides financial assistance to those in need, saying women made up almost 99 per cent of its recipients.
“I believe that almost 99 per cent of the hundreds of thousands of recipients of its assistance, a figure approaching half a million people, are women,” he said.
Ahmad said agencies such as AIM should continue receiving sufficient government funding to help reduce poverty among women and address relative poverty.
He was speaking at a press conference after officiating the annual Women Economic Forum and G100 Global Meet 2026 at the International Youth Centre.
Ahmad also called for more opportunities for women to participate in business, saying financial independence would help improve their well-being.
“What I would like to see is women being sufficiently empowered to take control of their economic well-being. They should have their own source of income, rather than depending solely on their husbands,” he said.
He said women should be encouraged to establish businesses and grow them from small enterprises into medium-sized and eventually large companies.
Ahmad added that women should also have more opportunities to become contractors, while international networking platforms could help them expand their business connections and reach wider markets.