The Rural Tamu Project initiative provides infrastructure facilities for small entrepreneurs outside of urban areas - Ewon

3 February 2024

By Wartawan Nabalu News

SIPITANG: The implementation of the rural Tamu Project initiative, carried out by the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (MEDC), starting this year aims to provide infrastructure facilities for small entrepreneurs in rural areas in Sabah and Sarawak.

Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives, Datuk Ewon Benedick, stated that the Prime Minister has agreed and announced that MEDC will implement the initiative with an allocation of RM20 million as stated in the 2024 Budget.

"Last year, I proposed in the 2024 Budget the allocation for building small entrepreneur stalls and upgrading village guest facilities in Sabah and Sarawak. The Prime Minister agreed and provided an allocation of RM20 million for this initiative starting this year.

"Furthermore, during the National Small Traders and Hawkers Day celebration in Penampang last month, the Prime Minister announced that I and MEDC were given the mandate to implement this initiative. I am grateful to the Prime Minister for this mandate and will ensure that this allocation can help build infrastructure facilities such as stalls and Rural Tamu facilities for small entrepreneurs in rural areas in Sabah and Sarawak," he said.

Ewon made this statement while inaugurating the District-level Cooperative Community Cultivation Programme in Sipitang today.

In conjunction with the programme, Ewon also launched the Lundayeh Sabah Central Community Cooperative Berhad and then visited the proposed site for the Rural Tamu project to be developed by the cooperative.

Ewon further approved an allocation of RM100,000 for the construction of the rural Tamu stall.

Also present at the programme were Sipitang Member of Parliament, Datuk Matbali Musah, Sindumin State Assemblyman, Datuk Dr Yusof Yaacob, Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysian Cooperative Commission, Haji Rusli Jaafar, and Chairman of the Lundayeh Sabah Central Community Cooperative Berhad, Datuk Pangiran Lalung.