| Azlan Othman |
THE Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Awang Haji Aminuddin Ihsan bin Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin urged youth in the country to think big, think out-of-the-box and engage in digital economy.
While responding to queries during a panel discussion at the Brunei Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DPPMB) 4th World Cafe 2018 yesterday at the Radisson Hotel in the capital yesterday, Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Awang Haji Aminuddin Ihsan said that there is also need for strategic partnerships to engage youth in entrepreneurship and help them penetrate the outside market as the local market is already saturated.
“Youth can’t be spoon-fed. Accessibility is there and all the documents are there. I see a lot of potential in youth. The government sees the importance of youth. In the upcoming National Youth Day celebration, we want to showcase youth that excel in entrepreneurship,” the minister said.
On youth policy, he said that the recent Legislative Council session has discussed it and suggested that the policy has to be inclusive and needs to engage all stakeholders.
“The Youth Congress is going to be held in the coming months and we are going to share with the youth the right policy that needs to be implemented.
Meanwhile, speaking at the event, Deputy Permanent Secretary (Management, Cooperatives and Industry) at the Prime Minister’s Office Hajah Tutiaty binti Haji Abdul Wahab said the country is striving to increase exports, acknowledging that it is a big task.
“We are currently looking at ways to strengthen our local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by organising workshops and providing training and finance. We are also in the process of drafting a Bruneisation policy which can look after the interests of Bruneians in business. We are also strengthening the Local Business Development (LBD) framework to benefit locals more and enhancing the participation of locals in the construction sector,” she added.
Yesterday’s discussion also highlighted the need to establish a data centre, increase Internet speed and access, promote more niche Halal products and form a proper business marketing plan.
The participants of the discussion also called for the oil and gas industries to be more realistic, lenient and not to enforce overly stringent terms and conditions on new players. This will ensure more youth participation in business, they said.
