KUALA LUMPUR: The government will continue to strengthen the Rakan Muda Programme to enhance the potential of Malaysia's youth, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The Deputy Prime Minister said the programme had shown a positive impact with the participation of 2.2 million youths last year, including over 317,000 who took part online.
"As of April 2025, a total of 119 Rakan Muda Secretariats at higher learning institutions have been established and are actively operating, a significant increase compared to only 89 secretariats in 2024," he said in a statement on Thursday (May 8).
Ahmad Zahid also said he chaired the Cabinet Committee on Youth Development meeting at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on Thursday, which focused on implementing youth-centric programmes through the Rakan Muda platform.
He said several decisions were made during the meeting, including the National-level Youth Day celebration which would take place from June 13 to 15.
He explained the state-level celebrations would be held on May 17 and 18, while the district-level Semarak programme would take place on May 15.
Ahmad Zahid noted that the Youth and Sports Ministry, as the secretariat of the committee, has played an active role as coordinator and advocate by presenting social issues affecting youth that require attention and cross-ministerial cooperation.
As an initial step, the Youth and Sports Ministry will strengthen strategic collaboration with the National Anti-Drugs Agency through more focused prevention and early intervention programmes.
Malaysia’s position in the Global Youth Development Index has also improved, rising to 35th out of 183 countries in 2023, compared to 50th out of 181 countries in 2020.
At the Asean level, Malaysia climbed to second place out of 10 countries in 2022, up from third in 2016. – Bernama
