Minister Promotes Mosque-Based Cooperatives as Centre of Community Economy, to Support Red-and-White Village Cooperatives
Jakarta — The Minister of Cooperatives Ferry Juliantono has stated that the Ministry of Cooperatives is committed to strengthening mosque-based cooperatives as centres for community economic circulation. During the inauguration of the Community Love Mosque Indonesia (MCMI) Cooperative at Sunda Kelapa Mosque in Jakarta on Saturday, 14 March 2026, he emphasised that mosques must function not only as places of worship but also as centres for community economic empowerment.
Ferry stated that the Ministry of Cooperatives is committed to supporting, nurturing, and providing financing access for mosque-based cooperatives.
“The capacity of the Ministry of Cooperatives is indeed tasked with fostering cooperatives. We have a Revolving Fund Management Institution (LPDB) ready to assist the development of MCMI cooperative activities,” he said.
He expressed hope that the MCMI Cooperative could serve as a model for the establishment of mosque cooperatives in various regions, following the success of Islamic boarding school cooperatives in East Java, which have accumulated assets worth trillions of rupiah.
To this end, he stated that the Ministry of Cooperatives is ready to collaborate with the Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI) and the Ministry of Religious Affairs in formulating a systematic roadmap for mosque cooperative development.
Furthermore, Ferry linked the role of mosque cooperatives with the Red-and-White Village/Urban Cooperative (Kopdes) development programme across 83,000 locations. Currently, 32,000 physical structures are under construction, with 2,200 of them 100 per cent complete. He urged mosque cooperatives to serve as producers of essential goods to be marketed through the Kopdes retail network.
The Minister of Cooperatives also emphasised the function of mosque cooperatives as micro-financial institutions that protect small business operators from illegal practices.
According to him, many micro and small enterprises (UMKMs) around mosques remain individual operations and are vulnerable to marginalisation because they lack formal business status. Cooperatives serve as legal entities that provide both capital access and business protection.
Wisnu Dewanto, Chairman General of the MCMI Central Board, added that the mosque ecosystem has great potential for community empowerment.
With approximately 900,000 mosques across Indonesia, he is confident that inter-ministerial cooperation can deliver significant impact on strengthening the community economy.
“The mosque community is ready to face difficult situations. They can serve as emergency kitchens or quarantine facilities if needed. If empowered structurally, they will operate organically like a machine serving the community,” Wisnu said.
He noted that the MCMI Cooperative currently guides at least 100 micro and small enterprise operators around Sunda Kelapa Mosque through partnerships with various partners.