Ministry of Cooperatives partners with Muhammadiyah to develop mosque-based cooperatives
The Ministry of Cooperatives (Kemenkop) has partnered with the Muhammadiyah Central Leadership Tabligh Council to develop cooperatives based in places of worship, including mosques, as part of an effort to strengthen the economy of communities at the grassroots level.
The collaboration was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by Kemenkop and the Muhammadiyah Central Leadership Tabligh Council in Jakarta on Friday.
The Minister of Cooperatives, Ferry Juliantono, stated in a ministry press release that the development of cooperatives based on places of worship will begin with mosque-based cooperatives. According to Ferry, mosque-based cooperatives can learn from the experience of cooperatives within Islamic boarding schools (pesantren), which have successfully grown to support community economic activities.
“We will encourage the establishment of cooperative business entities. It is hoped that this can be a good start to creating a history of more modern and professional cooperative development in the future,” he said.
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Quantum Institute Foundation, Akhyar Adi Hidayat, noted that the Muhammadiyah Tabligh Council network, which covers approximately 12,000 mosques, has the potential to serve as a foundation for community-based cooperative development. “There are 12,000 mosques under the Muhammadiyah Tabligh Council, and all participants or congregants are real. The database is collected within a single digital database,” he added.
The Chairman of the Muhammadiyah Central Leadership Tabligh Council, Fathurrahman Kamal, stated that they wish to develop the function of the mosque as an ecosystem that can help meet the needs of society at the grassroots level.
In addition to the partnership with Muhammadiyah, Kemenkop also signed an MoU with the President’s Special Envoy for Economy and Banking, Setiawan Ichlas, to strengthen the development of the cooperative ecosystem. Through this cooperation, Kemenkop will provide data and information, as well as identify cooperatives based on targets and business sectors. The Ministry will also provide assistance and institutional strengthening for these cooperatives.
The President’s Special Envoy for Economy and Banking is expected to strengthen coordination with financial institutions and relevant stakeholders to expand access to financing and formulate financing schemes that align with the needs of cooperatives. Ferry noted that access to financing is a crucial component in strengthening cooperatives so they can expand their business activities.