TAPiO Newsletter – November 2019 Issue
DIPLOMATIC SPHERE
Kedah and NCER launch programmes to boost employability, entrepreneurship
The Kedah state government, together with the Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA), has launched four human capital and entrepreneurship development programmes to help boost the people’s income, especially those from the B40 community. Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir, launching the state-level Human Capital Programmes: Encouraging Prosperity, Empowering the People here, said the four initiatives are aimed at addressing the skills gap and ensuring holistic poverty eradication in Kedah. He said the empower NCER programme is designed to provide participants with basic skills in fields such as spas, wiring and sewing while entrepreneur NCER focuses on helping micro and small and medium enterprises. The private sector’s investment in the NCER Talent Enhancement Programme can help resolve the issue of unemployed graduates. NCIA chief executive Datuk Seri Jebasingam Issace John said the first phase of the programme will target 2,200 participants in skills and entrepreneurship training. A total of 2,600 students from mainstream schools will participate in academic training, together with 300 indigenous students through empower NCER.
Kedah wants local business players to grab opportunities
Kedah state government and Invest Kedah Berhad (IKB) met with the business community here to inform them of the variety of opportunities available in the state after the recent Kedah 2020 Budget announcement. State Tourism, Local Government and Housing Committee Chairman Tan Kok Yew said Kedah wants businesses to grab the various opportunities that the state is providing. “There are 12 districts in Kedah and each district are being opened up for development in terms of specific crops or even the various untapped tourism potential available,” he said at the Kedah 2020 Budget Dialogue with businesses held here today. The state is not just targeting investments from China and other countries but Kedah also wants to get local business players to get involved in the state’s economic growth.
BUSINESS
Jakim’s halal recognition meets Ukrainian Muslims’ needs
The recognition of Ukraine’s halal certification by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) meets the need and demand of around two million Muslims currently residing in Ukraine. Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya said the identification of Kyiv-based LLC Certification Centre ‘Halal’ as one of the recognised Foreign Halal Certification Bodies (FHCB) early this year is important alongside the aim of boosting the existing bilateral trade growth between Ukraine and Malaysia. Kyslytsya led a Ukrainian delegation comprising Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director-General for the Asia Pacific Region Zhanna Leshchynska and Ambassador of Ukraine to Malaysia Olexander Nechytaylo for Political Consultations between Foreign Ministries of the two countries. Nechytaylo added that Ukraine-Malaysia bilateral trade had been growing for the third consecutive year and has now approached US$400 million, and the recognition is good news for Ukrainian exporters. Jakim’s FHCB appointments are based on the capability of the foreign halal certification bodies that comply with Malaysia’s procedures & guidelines.
Malaysia in talks with several partners to produce palm oil-based biojet fuel
Malaysia aims to start producing palm oil-based biojet fuel within five years and is in talks with several potential partners about setting up a plant, the head of the industry’s marketing board said on Wednesday. Malaysia, the world’s second biggest producer of palm oil, is looking for new markets to boost demand for the vegetable oil, widely used in everything from soap to lipstick to snack foods. Last month, Malaysia allocated funds in its 2020 budget to study the use of palm oil-based bio-jet fuel. MPOB is a state agency responsible for the promotion and development of palm oil. Malaysia’s interest in producing biojet fuel comes as global airlines look to reduce emissions from flying to comply with a plan by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), th U.N. body that sets standards for international air travel. The plan, known as Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), looks to cap CO2 emissions from air travel at 2020 levels, mitigating the environmental impact of flying even as passenger traffic is forecast to grow.
MOBILITY
Malaysia and Singapore Airlines agree on partnership agreement
Two Asia-Pacific airlines, Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines, have shaken hands on a partnership agreement, pending regulatory approval. The agreement follows up on the Memorandum of Understanding, signed in June 2019. The two airlines have included their subsidiaries, namely Firefly, Silk Air and Scoot in the new partnership, which outlines sharing revenues on flights between the two countries, and will expand their code sharing network on regional and long-haul routes. Previously, the two airlines only shared their flight codes on flights between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and Penang.
