Women’s economic empowerment must go beyond financial aid, says Hanani

KUALA LUMPUR – Women’s economic empowerment must go beyond financial assistance to include market access, digital skills and a safe environment.

Women’s Development Department director-general Hanani Sapit said women needed practical support to grow their businesses, particularly those from rural and underrepresented communities who could use digital platforms to reach wider markets.

“Under the society pillar, we have a role in promoting participation among underrepresented groups,” she said at the Women Economic Forum 2026 today.

Hanani said traditional products made by Orang Asal communities, including ornaments and jewellery, could reach international markets when women artisans received the right training and access to business networks.

She cited the department’s apprenticeship programme, Perantis, through which three of 30 participants managed to bring their products from a village in Miri to international markets.

“It is not about how big or how established our business is, but it is about opportunity and how that is done,” she said.

Hanani said women’s economic participation must also be supported by efforts to improve their representation in leadership, strengthen their safety and protect their well-being.

She said the National Women’s Policy and Women’s Development Action Plan 2025–2030 identified four priority areas: economy, leadership, safety and well-being.

While economic opportunities remained important, she said women’s representation in leadership also required attention, including encouraging more women to contest elections and win seats.

Hanani also raised concerns over domestic violence, saying reported cases had reached 6,000 by the middle of 2026, exceeding the figure for the previous year.

“The safest place to be on earth is at home. When domestic violence cases arise, that is also an area of concern that we need, as a society, to support and look after one another,” she said.

She urged the public to pay attention to the safety of others and support efforts to ensure women and their families could live in safe environments.

Meanwhile, former Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Maimunah Mohd Sharif said women should not wait until they had all the necessary knowledge or experience before taking on leadership roles.

Drawing on her experience as Kuala Lumpur’s first woman mayor and the first woman to serve as executive director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), she said women often had to overcome doubts about their abilities.

“We don't have to know it all in order to start, to commit and to do something new. But don't wait until we know everything,” she said.

Maimunah said women leaders needed to be willing to take risks and work through challenges while building institutions that could deliver meaningful results.

She also stressed that sustainable organisations required competent people, accountability, transparency, trust and effective management.

Turning to affordable housing, Maimunah said housing policies should consider more than the price of a home, stressing the importance of accessibility and adequacy.

She said affordable homes should be located near workplaces, public transport, schools and community facilities to reduce residents’ travel time and living costs.

“Affordability cannot be measured by the price of the housing unit alone,” she said, adding that housing developments should create complete neighbourhoods where people could live, work and enjoy recreational facilities.