Izah Azahari
Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD) celebrated three successful women entrepreneurs who have recently graduated from the bank’s BIBD SEED (Special Underprivileged Mothers Empowerment Entrepreneurship Development) Programme, yesterday.
The businesswomen completed their training and bootcamp as part of the second cohort of the BIBD SEED Programme intake 2019/2020.
The successful participants are Dinah binti Mat Dali of LokLok Celup, Siti Masfatimah binti Haji Barudin of Sate Cawan and Siti Nurhamizzah binti Khalid of Majestic Wrap.
They are set to become BIBD SME360 clients and will be mentored by their relationship managers. They will also have access to financing provided by BIBD SME360 to help the expansion of their businesses.
“I learned a lot about marketing strategies, business management skills, costing, packaging and a lot more invaluable knowledge during the training and bootcamp. There were also challenges in terms of inconsistent sales but Alhamdulillah, the programme helped me a lot and I’m very thankful to BIBD,” said Siti Masfatimah.
She also shared plans of strengthening her business and fully utilising social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook to counter sales challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Insya Allah, we will set up a physical store to produce frozen Sate Cawan products for export,” she added.
Siti Nurhamizzah also expressed her gratitude in being able to participate in the programme and learnt invaluable business knowledge.
“I gained a lot of confidence and self-discipline in doing business through the programme and there were many activities and experiences that left with beneficial lessons,” she said.
A ceremony was held in the capital to celebrate the graduates and launch the third cohort of the BIBD SEED programme.
BIBD’s Chief Marketing Officer Hajah Nurul Akmar binti Haji Mohd Jaafar, in her opening remarks, praised the resilience and patience of the graduates throughout the programme.
“They have managed to overcome massive trials and challenges especially during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak by becoming more proactive and innovative in their respective businesses,” she said.
She added, “It is our responsibility as the people of Brunei Darussalam to give back to the nation through hard work and efforts that will contribute to the growth of the economy.”
The event yesterday also saw the induction of 10 new participants into the third cohort of the BIBD SEED programme. They will undergo a nine-month intensive training and marketplace training beginning September 1 until May 31, 2021.
Hajah Nurul Akmar told participants of the third cohort to emulate the qualities of graduates of the second batch and stay determined throughout the programme.
“You should make it a practice to keep seeking advice from your mentors and peers from the earlier cohorts of the BIBD SEED programme,” she said, adding that such practice would only benefit them.
The launch of the next cohort of the BIBD SEED Programme signifies BIBD’s commitment towards nation-building, not just as a financial institution, but also as a responsible citizen contributing towards the success of Brunei and its society. This is in line with BIBD’s social enterprise role within its corporate social responsibility pillars of entrepreneurship, education and community, and is just one of the ways to give back to the community, remaining true to its core focus of being Bruneian at Heart.
These initiatives align with Brunei Vision 2035 of creating a pro-business environment and empowering entrepreneurs to contribute to the Sultanate’s economy.
BIBD’s Deputy Managing Director Hajah Noraini binti Haji Sulaiman presented certificates to the second cohort of the BIBD SEED Programme’s graduates.
Hajah Noraini also welcomed the third cohort of the programme by handing over certificates of participation.