KUALA LUMPUR, 26 July -The government allocated RM6 million to Angkatan Kerjasama Kebangsaan Malaysia Berhad (ANGKASA) to increase the strength and the role of the main agency of this country.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said, from the total, RM1 million is a new fund for the ASEAN Cooperatives programme throughout Malaysia’s 2025 ASEAN chairmanship which involves the allocation of the Asean Cooperative programme during next year's Asean Conference.

"We have an allocation for Rahmah shops, I want that as an allocation RM2 million to be channelled through Angkasa. We have MADANI villages with mosque committees, as well as associations of youth and women. I want cooperatives to also be in that group with RM2 million to be channelled by Angkasa," said Anwar.

He said this, during a speech at the Closing Ceremony of the 2024 National Congress at the World Trade Center (WTC) Kuala Lumpur.

In other words, among the new allocation, RM500,000 will be channelled to mosque cooperatives in the villages, while the remaining RM500,000 will be given to improve the competency-enhancing training of Angkasa desa cooperators.

A total of 5,000 cooperatives across the country have gathered for the Congress; the last time it was organized, was in 1969.

Also present at the ceremony were Datuk Ewon Benedick, Minister of Entrepreneurship and Cooperative Development, Secretary General, Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali and the President of Angkasa, Datuk Seri Dr. Abdul Fattah Abdullah.