Sarawak Women Entrepreneur Dashboard to go live in early 2027; Samarahan One Stop Collection Centre to boost micro-businesses

SARAWAK, 4 OCTOBER 2026 —

Sarawak’s Women Entrepreneur Dashboard (WED) is targeted to begin operations in early 2027, establishing a centralised, live database designed to help the state government monitor women entrepreneurs and tailor support to their specific needs.

The initiative represents a significant shift in how the Sarawak government approaches economic empowerment for women, moving from generalised aid to data-driven intervention. By leveraging existing infrastructure, the state aims to create a more responsive ecosystem that aligns with broader national and state-level goals for poverty alleviation and income growth. The dashboard will serve as the digital backbone for these efforts, ensuring that resources are allocated based on real-time insights rather than static assessments.

Fatimah stated that the physical installation of the WED at Wisma Wanita is expected to be completed by mid-December this year. She confirmed that the system is on track to be ready and operational by 2027. To achieve this, the WED will utilise data from the existing ENBASE system developed by the Ministry of International Trade, Industry and Investment (MINTRED).

This strategic decision avoids the cost and complexity of creating a separate, standalone system, instead integrating women’s entrepreneurial data into a broader national framework.

As of September 2026, 3,901 out of 5,266 women entrepreneurs under the Sarawak Women and Family Department (JWKS) had been registered in ENBASE, representing approximately 74 per cent of the target group. Fatimah indicated that registration efforts would continue until all women entrepreneurs under both JWKS and the Sarawak Social Welfare Department (JKMS) are included.

Following this phase, the initiative is planned to expand to include entrepreneurs guided by other government departments, thereby broadening the scope of the data captured.

The dashboard is designed to capture granular information about entrepreneurs, including their business types, age, monthly income, and the specific challenges they face. This detailed data will allow the government to better assess needs and provide faster, more targeted interventions. “We want the interventions we carry out later to be faster and more accurate,” Fatimah said.

The government is targeting 90 per cent of women entrepreneurs under JKMS and JWKS to be able to access the WED, including a provision for those not yet registered to self-register through the platform.

These initiatives are explicitly part of efforts to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Sarawak and support the State’s aspiration under the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030. The strategy aims to increase household incomes and lift people out of poverty, with the WED serving as a key tool for tracking progress and identifying gaps in support.

By focusing on micro-entrepreneurs, including those from the B40 group who require continued assistance, the state aims to provide a safety net that also fosters growth.

Complementing the digital dashboard is the One Stop Collection Centre (OSCC) in Samarahan, a physical facility established to help entrepreneurs improve their products and gain access to wider markets. Located at Lot 11419-11420, Block 59, Muara Tuang Land District, Kota Samarahan, the facility has a gross floor area of 1,245 square metres and was completed on December 22, 2022.

The OSCC acts as a bridge between local producers and larger commercial channels, addressing logistical and quality control hurdles that often prevent small businesses from scaling.

Fatimah explained that the OSCC would collect products from entrepreneurs throughout Sarawak before grading, repackaging, promoting, and marketing them. She highlighted packaging as a primary constraint for local entrepreneurs. “One of the constraints faced by our entrepreneurs is packaging. For local consumption, the packaging may sometimes be acceptable, but if we want to market the products overseas, the packaging needs to be improved,” she said.

The centre provides technical support to help entrepreneurs improve product quality rather than simply rejecting products that do not meet required standards, fostering a collaborative approach to quality assurance.

The OSCC also houses an entrepreneur incubator focusing on areas such as digital marketing. This includes training entrepreneurs to advertise and promote their products using digital devices, equipping them with the skills necessary to compete in modern markets. The facility aims to open up potential market opportunities through AirBorneo, particularly for locally produced food products suitable for passengers, as well as through Sarawak Trade and Tourism Offices in Singapore (STATOS) or Brunei (STATOB).

Among the products cited for this expansion are packaged local snacks, kuih sepit, and pineapple tarts and jam produced by women entrepreneurs.

Fatimah emphasized that the OSCC’s role extends beyond mere collection; it is designed to ensure a sustainable supply by sourcing similar products from multiple entrepreneurs while maintaining required quality standards. This approach helps stabilize supply chains for larger buyers and ensures that individual micro-businesses can benefit from collective bargaining power and consistent demand.

The combined approach of the WED and OSCC allows information gathered through the dashboard to be translated into practical support and opportunities for entrepreneurs to improve their businesses.

The synergy between the digital monitoring of the WED and the physical support of the OSCC creates a comprehensive framework for supporting women-led micro-businesses in Sarawak. By addressing both the informational gaps in policy-making and the practical barriers in product development and market access, the state aims to create a more resilient and inclusive economic environment.

The focus on the B40 group underscores the social dimension of these economic initiatives, linking business growth directly to poverty reduction and social mobility.

The launch of the WED in early 2027 will mark a significant milestone in Sarawak’s economic development strategy, providing a robust tool for monitoring and supporting women entrepreneurs. The integration with the ENBASE system ensures efficiency and scalability, while the OSCC provides the necessary infrastructure for product enhancement and market entry.

Together, these initiatives aim to empower women entrepreneurs to grow their businesses, increase their incomes, and contribute to the broader economic goals of the state under the PCDS 2030.

Related: Wisma Wanita · Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah · Sarawak