KUCHING: Women have the potential to achieve a higher level of participation in the field of leadership through wider opportunities and space to come forward and highlight their capabilities.

Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Dato Sri Nancy Shukri said that setting targets for women's participation should not be seen as a limit to their involvement in leadership.

"We always hear 30 per cent, 30 per cent (of women's participation in leadership), why do we set a limit for ourselves? We should have as many as possible.

"So, what we have today, this APPRENTICE is among the programmes where we can overcome the problem of only 56.6 per cent of women working in the Federal Government, and we have set 60 per cent for 2030.

"For me as a female leader, if we give them the opportunity to lead, that could also reach more than 30 per cent and maybe we could reach 60 per cent by 2030," she said.

She said this when met by reporters after the launch of the WIBAWA Women Leadership Circle and the Power and Presence Programme: Image, Skills and Authority of Malaysian Women Leaders 2026 at the Sarawak State Library, here, on Monday.

Earlier during her speech, Dato Sri Nancy explained that the ‘Program Perantisan Kepimpinan Wanita’ (PERANTIS) is one of the initiatives that help address the challenges of women's participation in the workforce.

She said that it serves as a platform to train and guide women to be more prepared to take on roles in various leadership fields, including politics.

"Up to August 2026, a total of 3,375 participants have been mentored by 78 female figures in various fields.

"This is not just a number, but proves that when women are given the right platform and guidance, their talents can be honed, directions can be formed and then open up job opportunities, entrepreneurship and increased income," she said.

In this regard, she called on more women to participate in leadership programmes to gain exposure and build the ability to play a role in their respective fields. -UKASnews