MELAKA, May 12 — The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) has selected 150 asnaf (eligible to receive tithe) entrepreneurs to join the Digital Entrepreneur Asnaf (DEA) initiative under its Corporate Dakwah Secretariat economic development programme to increase their income.
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Senator Zulkifli Hasan said the project is empowered by three primary strategies: taking them out of poverty, raising their economic status and identifying their potential.
“Their readiness to become competitive entrepreneurs will ensure that the goal to transform participants into zakat payers is achieved,” he told reporters at Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) in Durian Tunggal, here today.
Earlier, he officiated at the launching ceremony of the DEA programme, which was attended by Jakim deputy director of operations Dr Ruslan Said and Maybank Islamic Berhad chief executive officer Datuk Muzaffar Hisham.
Zulkifli said the DEA programme is funded by Maybank Islamic Berhad, which allocates RM500,000 of its zakat fund, adding that participants will go through four phases of learning and be provided with a monthly allowance of RM250, a tablet and a workbook.
He said Sinergi Ilmu Resources Sdn Bhd, Melaka Religious Council, UTeM, and Universiti Islam Melaka will jointly handle the programme with the secretariat.
“Our aim is to produce asnaf entrepreneurs who are ready to enter the market, equipped with training and exposure to business such as inventory and premises management,” he said, adding that the participants will be monitored for nine months to ensure that it is not a one-off initiative.
They are planning to explore other potentials and expand the programme to other states, he added. — Bernama
