By Sofia Nasir
SHAH ALAM, June 28 — The state today held the inaugural Selangor Women’s Convention, marking a major push to boost women’s workforce participation and unlock their economic potential.
The event, which drew around 1,000 participants, was officiated by Tengku Permaisuri of Selangor Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin.
State executive councillor for women empowerment Anfaal Saari said the convention is a strategic platform to empower women in high-impact fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), technical and vocational education and training (TVET), the care economy, and entrepreneurship.
“It opens up opportunities for women to explore new economic prospects and build future-relevant skills,” she told reporters at the Shah Alam Convention Centre here today.
She said the event offers various initiatives to support women, particularly in encouraging their participation in economic activities within their communities.
According to Anfaal, the state government is open to considering making the convention an annual event, following encouraging feedback from participants.
“In fact, there was a request for a two-day event, but we started with just one day. We will consider it based on the response from attendees,” she added.
The Selangor Women’s Convention features four main components, namely the Women’s Career Convention, Digital Women Entrepreneurs Pitching, the Hasil Suri Selangor (HaSSel) Expo, and a Gen Z Townhall Session.
The convention is organised in collaboration with the Human Resources Ministry and the Social Security Organisation (Perkeso), alongside 13 strategic partners from both public and private sectors.
Earlier, during the programme's officiating, Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin also witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Wanita Berdaya Selangor (WBS) and Mardi Corporation Sdn Bhd (MardiCorp), as well as Kiddocare Malaysia.
The MoU with MardiCorp will explore opportunities for women’s involvement in agricultural technology and agro-based commodity products, while the collaboration with Kiddocare will provide childcare support systems through WBS.
Her Royal Highness later visited the booths at the HaSSel Expo, which showcased products from women of various backgrounds and regions.
