| Danial Norjidi |
DARe (Darussalam Enterprise) held its Entrepreneurship Open Day (EOD) yesterday at Tutong Civic Centre Complex, inviting aspiring entrepreneurs and existing businesses to inquire and learn about the government’s initiatives and support for businesses.
The EOD is a continuous initiative by DARe that is held in all four districts to update the public on improvements being made to the business ecosystem, register issues faced by business community that need appropriate resolution and to create awareness on services provided by government agencies and the private sector for Brunei Darussalam’s business community.
Thirty different agencies were present, and visitors were able to inquire and learn about training and capacity building programmes, Halal certification, intellectual property-related matters, organising expos and trade fairs, product nutrient labelling and shelf life-testing, manpower recruitment including foreign labour application and renewal and much more. Talks were held throughout the day, beginning with a presentation on Brunei Vision 2035, followed by an entrepreneur sharing session with Mumtaz Collections and Uncle J’s Grill and Sandwiches.
There was also a presentation on the Halal Certificate and Halal Label Order (Amendment 2017) by the Ministry of Religious Affairs; Product Nutrient Labelling and Shelf-life testing by the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism; how to protect your business logo and other intellectual property related matters by the Brunei Intellectual Property Office (BruIPO); a business plan writing workshop by LiveWIRE; as well as a presentation on Certificate of Origin from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Javed Ahmad, the CEO of DARe spoke to the Bulletin during yesterday’s EOD event. “The overall objective is to engage in the community with regards to entrepreneurship.
“So you have actually a talk going on where you have entrepreneurs sharing their stories, but more importantly, all the different government agencies are here, so if there are any questions, queries or concerns, then businesses can actually approach them with a view to resolution.”
He explained that the event is an active engagement in the community that DARe have carried out to be nearer to micro, small and medium exterprises (MSMEs), and also to understand the key issues they face, “with a view to resolving them not on a case by case basis but in a systematic manner for all businesses.”
Speaking on how DARe is encouraging youth participation in entrepreneurship, he said, “Part of our strategy for the longer term is to ensure that entrepreneurship is not viewed as something undesirable.
“Entrepreneurship should be viewed as one of the best opportunities. It’s not about looking after the individual’s own future, but the futures of others as well, as employers. So it’s a mind shift from thinking like an employee to thinking like an entrepreneur and an employer, with the view of creating jobs for oneself and also a larger community.”
He added that they hope to really make entrepreneurship something desirable that youngsters can actually aspire to.
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