KOTA KINABALU: Cooperatives in Sabah must be prepared to face the current business challenges, especially as the country moves to Covid-19 endemicity, says Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor (pic).

       He said with the relaxation of the standard operating procedure, Sabah’s economy would be revived, bringing relief to businesses including cooperatives.

       “This is especially true for cooperatives dealing with tourism which were affected by the pandemic,” he added.

       Hajiji said that as at Dec 31, Sabah had 1,652 cooperatives with 339,000 members.

       “This involved a turnover of RM470.8mil, with assets at RM887.1mil, while fees and share ownership amounted to RM218.6mil,” he said in his speech read by Sabah Community Development and People’s Well-being Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya at the state-level Cooperative Day celebration here, yesterday.

       “I would like to remind co-operatives in Sabah to continue grabbing new business opportunities.

       “Sabah is rich in natural resource, thus they have to be smart in tapping into this,” added Hajiji.