ID :
33517
Tue, 12/02/2008 - 11:06
Auther :

MAKMUM TO EXPAND TO EGYPT

Lat Zaharah Abd Mutalib

Cairo, Dec 2 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Universities Student
Entrepreneurship Council (Makmum) will spread its wings to Egypt to enhance its activities among Malaysian students there.

Deputy Minister for Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development, Saiffuddin
Abdullah, said Egypt was a prime destination for the setting up of a
Makmum branch as the country was a pioneer in overseas
entrepreneurship.

The choice of Egypt was because it had more than 8,000 Malaysian students
doing Islamic and medical studies, Saiffuddin said at a news conference after
launching the 2008 Entrepreneur Movement here Monday.

The programme is to expose students to entrepreneurship as well as
presenting it as a viable alternative when they complete their studies.

Saiffuddin said if the pioneer programme achieved its objective in Egypt it
will be expanded to Indonesia, the United States and the United Kingdom, which
also had many Malaysian students.

He said as compared to students studying in Malaysian universities who
could
take entrepreneurship courses, those in overseas universities could not.

The ministry, with the cooperation of the Higher Education Ministry,
proposes to expand the course to Egypt and is looking into the best way to do
so.

Saiffuddin said various facilities were available for graduates to be
active in business.

In his speech at the launch, attended by more than 1,000 Malaysian
students,
he said his ministry had two specific programmes which were the Undergraduate
Entrepreneur Fund amd the Undergraduate Franchaise Fund which could be applied
for at the end of studies.

"We want more undergraduates to be entrepreneurs. Now only 2.5 per cent do
so compared to 25 per cent of undergraduates in the United States," he
said.

Saiffuddin said the numbers should go up due to the great potential
especially in the 'halal' food industry.

He also witnessed the signing of an agreement between Fawaid Excel
Marketing
(Malaysia) and Al-Alamia For Export & Import (Egypt) to supply Malaysian
products to Malaysian hostels in Egypt.
-- BERNAMA

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