KOTA KINABALU: Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick has called on all women’s cooperatives, particularly in Sabah, to further boost their revenue performance.
Ewon said that to date, a total of 250 women’s cooperatives have been registered nationwide, generating a combined revenue of RM16.2 million.
“In Sabah, there are 33 registered women’s cooperatives generating a total revenue of RM1.3 million,“ he told reporters after officiating at the closing ceremony of the Women’s Cooperatives Leadership and Entrepreneurship Seminar.
He said the revenue generated by women’s cooperatives in Sabah was still very low compared to the state’s more than 1,900 registered cooperatives.
The seminar, held for the first time in Sabah, was part of efforts to help boost their performance.
A total of 150 participants took part in the two-day seminar, which concluded today.
Ewon said the seminar served as an initial platform to enable participants to share information from various agencies.
It also provided motivation and encouragement to women’s cooperatives in the state.
Earlier, in his speech, Ewon said the organisation of the seminar for women could encourage cooperative members and women entrepreneurs to remain relevant, competitive and resilient.
This supports the objectives of the Malaysian Cooperative Policy (DaKoM) 2030, the National Entrepreneurship Policy (DKN) 2030 and the Malaysian Cooperative Transformation Plan (TransKom) 2021-2025.
He said his ministry’s latest initiative aims to facilitate the business activities of cooperatives and entrepreneurs in Malaysia through its agencies.
“Various incentives tailored to the needs of entrepreneurs and cooperatives in Sabah and Sarawak have been introduced under the MADANI Government,“ he said.
Also present were Angkatan Koperasi Kebangsaan Malaysia Berhad (ANGKASA) president Datuk Seri Dr Abdul Fattah Abdullah, Cooperative Institute of Malaysia director-general Datuk Mohd Ali Mansor, and Malaysia Cooperative Societies Commission chief executive officer Noor Afifah Abdul Razak. – Bernama