By: Nurul Fazliana Norman
KOTA KINABALU: Oct 8, 2026 – The Sabah Ministry of Youth Development, Sports Advancement and Creative Economy (KBSK) has urged the Federal Government to prioritise the empowerment of Sabah youth in Budget 2027, which will be tabled this Friday.
Its minister, Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan, said efforts must focus on empowering young entrepreneurs and providing high-income job opportunities to improve their socio-economic status.
He said youth must be given access to financing, training and digital platforms so they can build careers or create job opportunities through their own businesses.
“Focus must be given so that youth not only secure jobs, but are also able to create better and more stable sources of income in facing current cost-of-living challenges.
“In addition, the needs of rural youth must be prioritised so that available opportunities are not concentrated in urban areas only,” he said during an interview at the Sabah FM studio at the Ministry of Communications Integrated Complex last Monday.
In a related development, Nizam hoped Budget 2027 would also pay attention to grassroots sports development, including the provision of good, safe and easily accessible infrastructure.
He said talent scouting programmes, coach development and clear career pathways were also important to help young Sabah athletes progress from school level to higher levels.
In the creative economy sector, he said more support was needed in the form of grants, training, creative spaces, marketing and access to wider platforms to help local arts practitioners.
Such support was important to ensure the creative economy sector, including local arts, culture and heritage, continued to grow while serving as a sustainable source of income and career.
Nizam said the development of the youth, sports and creative economy sectors must continue to be strengthened to open more space for Sabahans to develop and bring the state’s name to a higher level.
Also present were KBSK Permanent Secretary Datuk Mansur Asun and Deputy Director of the Federal Youth and Sports Department Noorman Ramlan.
Source: JAPEN
