Ewon Underscores District Offices’ Role in Completing Sabah’s Tamu Desa Projects by Year-End

By Mohd Khairy Abdullah @ DG Henry
KOTA KINABALU (Sabah, Malaysia), October 9, 2025 – Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Datuk Ewon Benedick has emphasized that the successful implementation of the Tamu Desa (Tamu MADANI) projects across Sabah depends heavily on the full cooperation and commitment of district offices, which serve as the main implementing agencies at the grassroots level.

He said strong inter-agency collaboration and effective local coordination are crucial to ensuring that all 46 approved Tamu Desa projects are completed by December 2025.

“I want to see all 46 Tamu Desa projects in Sabah completed within this year.

KUSKOP has received many new applications, and the performance of this year’s projects will determine the approval of new allocations for next year,” Ewon said.

He made the remarks while chairing the Sabah Tamu Desa 2025 Project Implementation Coordination Committee Meeting held at the Sabah State Development Office on Thursday night.

Also present were KUSKOP Secretary-General Dato’ Sri Khairul Dzaimee Daud, senior ministry officials, agency representatives, and district officers from across the state.

Ewon announced that Malaysia’s Ministry of Finance has approved an additional allocation of RM10 million on September 23 for the Small Stalls Maintenance Programme (Tamu MADANI) in Sabah for 2025.

The funding, he said, aligns with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s commitment to strengthen Sabah’s rural economy through micro and community-based trading networks, as announced during the MADANI Rakyat Sabah programme in May this year.

“KUSKOP will optimize existing funds and accelerate maintenance and construction works for Tamu MADANI to ensure all projects are completed within the year.

This is crucial to provide rural communities in Sabah with cleaner, safer, and better-organized trading facilities,” he added.

To date, 46 Tamu Desa (Tamu MADANI) sites have been identified across Sabah for 2025 implementation.
Letters of appointment as Superintending Officers have been issued to district officers overseeing 39 projects, while five additional appointments—covering Ranau, Putatan, Sandakan, Keningau, and Telupid—were handed over during the meeting.

Introduced by KUSKOP, the Tamu Desa Programme is a community-driven rural development initiative designed to create structured, sustainable marketplaces for micro-entrepreneurs, farmers, fishermen, and local craft producers.

“The attendance of all district officers, even for a late-night meeting, reflects their commitment and sense of shared responsibility.

It shows our collective determination to make the Tamu Desa development a success in Sabah,” Ewon said.

With full implementation expected by the end of the year, the Tamu Desa Programme is poised to become a model of integrated community-based economic development in Sabah, embodying the principles of the MADANI development framework—sustainability, inclusivity, and prosperity for rural communities.