Jerry Phillip, from the Kota Kinabalu District Education Office, receiving his certification after completing the Bah Upgrade: Digital Community course from Suif Sainan, Principal, MSU Sabah
KUALA LUMPUR: In line with its mandate to identify, nurture and develop Bumiputera talent to compete on a global scale, Yayasan Peneraju (YP) recently completed its Bah, Upgrade Kita Bersama YP programme, an initiative aimed at broadening access to Bumiputera talent development opportunities and strengthening YP’s presence across Sabah’s diverse communities.
Held from Oct 15 to 26, 2025, the roadshows brought YP’s development offerings directly to the ground while allowing the agency to gain deeper insight into what local communities need to support the growth and future prospects of young talent in the state.
The effort successfully created close to 1,200 new Peneraju.org profiles and recorded interest from nearly 5,000 individuals, marking a significant leap in Sabah’s participation rate.
Across the 12-day roadshow, YP rolled out the “Bah, Upgrade Kita” education and upskilling modules through five themes - Digital Community, NexGen Leadership, Legal Literacy for All, Sociopreneur Catalyst and Excel for Data, in collaboration with 21 local partners.
These themes were implemented selectively across 21 different locations based on local needs, ensuring that each community received programmes most relevant to their talent development priorities.
Chief Executive Officer of Yayasan Peneraju, Ibrahim Sani, commented, “Our engagements in Sabah gave us a very honest look at what the community is striving for. Many of the youths we met are eager to strengthen their capabilities in areas such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data analytics and data science. Others expressed a clear interest in advancing their business and professional qualifications, including accounting and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) track. These are not abstract aspirations as they reflect the realities of a state that is preparing for new investments and emerging industries.”
“Up until this year, YP typically recorded about 400 participants from Sabah. The Bah, Upgrade Kita Bersama YP initiative has dramatically shifted that trajectory. Through this single initiative, that number has more than tripled, and more than 150 people have
already applied for our long-term, high-value programmes in technology and professional development.
"It shows that when opportunities are brought closer to the community, Sabahans are ready to move forward,” he added.
The roadshow covered a wide array of communities including Lahad Datu, Kunak, Sekong, Elopura, Tambunan, Kota Marudu, Kinabatangan, Marak Parak, Kota Belud, Keningau and Putatan among others.
This extensive outreach enabled YP to engage with a diverse range of Sabahans, many of whom face limited access to verified information, reliable internet connectivity and nationwide development opportunities.
With the first phase of the programme now completed, YP will re-engage nearly 5,000 individuals who expressed interest through targeted communications, online briefings and follow-up activities to maximise programme conversion.
Under its Talent Bank direction, the agency is working towards developing 10,000 Value Creators across Business, Community and Professional leadership streams to strengthen the nation’s future talent pool.
