By Mohd Khairy Abdullah
LAHAD DATU (Sabah, Malaysia), May 16 2006 — The Sabah government has expanded the Sabah Special Entrepreneur Fund to include cooperatives beginning this year, in a move aimed at strengthening community-based economic development and widening access to financing for grassroots economic institutions across the state.
Sabah Deputy Chief Minister III and Minister of Industrial Development, Entrepreneurship and Transport, Ewon Benedick said the RM1 million special fund, previously reserved exclusively for entrepreneurs, will now also be made available to cooperatives to support capital requirements and community-driven economic activities.
“For all this time, this fund was channelled only to entrepreneurs and never to cooperatives. But because cooperatives are close to my heart, beginning this year they will also qualify for the fund as capital assistance,” he said during the launch of the Madani Sales Programme and a visit to Koperasi Keluarga Haji Sari Lahad Datu Berhad here.
The move reflects the state government’s broader strategy to position cooperatives as a key driver of grassroots economic growth, particularly in Sabah’s rural communities.
Ewon said Sabah’s cooperative sector has recorded encouraging growth, with the number of cooperatives registered under the Suruhanjaya Koperasi Malaysia (SKM) increasing from about 1,600 at the end of 2022 to more than 2,000 currently.
He added that the sector’s financial performance has also improved significantly, with cooperative revenue in Sabah rising from approximately RM400 million to more than RM900 million in 2025, approaching the RM1 billion mark.
“This reflects the collective efforts of the government, SKM, the Institut Koperasi Malaysia (IKMA), and cooperative leaders in strengthening the sector,” he said.
Ewon expressed hope that more cooperatives from Sabah would join the ranks of Malaysia’s top-performing cooperatives after six cooperatives from the state were listed among the country’s top 100 cooperatives last year.
In a related development, Ewon said that while leading the Kementerian Pembangunan Usahawan dan Koperasi (KUSKOP), discussions were held with the Sabah government to provide 35 scholarships for Sabah students pursuing diploma and bachelor’s degree programmes at the Universiti Keusahawanan Koperasi Malaysia (UKKM).
He said 17 Sabah students are currently pursuing their studies at the university, while the remaining quota is still open for applications.
During the visit, Ewon also launched the Cooperative Madani Sales Programme organised by SKM and presented a RM5,000 contribution to support the programme.
As chairman of the Sabah State Cooperative Consultative Council (MPKN), he said the state government would continue strengthening collaboration with SKM and IKMA to expand assistance programmes and cooperative development initiatives throughout Sabah.
During the same visit, Ewon officiated the opening of the Tawaiyari Ulu Segama Rural Market premises, which was built using KUSKOP allocations last year.
He said the weekly market, held every Saturday, benefits residents from 10 surrounding villages while serving as a platform to stimulate rural economic activity.
At the event, he also presented RM10,000 to the Rural Market Committee to improve public facilities, as well as RM5,000 to Gereja Roh Kudus Kampung Pandising for the purchase of equipment, in addition to distributing food baskets to senior citizens.
