MEDC launches the National Social Enterprise Day celebration

28 June 2024

KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (MEDC) launched the inaugural National Social Enterprise Day celebration held this year.

The launching ceremony was officiated by the Minister, Datuk Ewon Benedick, at the Asia School of Business (ASB), here, yesterday.

In his speech Ewon suggested that the National Social Enterprise Day celebration should be made an annual event in the country and observed on the same date as World Social Enterprise Day.

"It is being held this year and I hope it will become an annual event for social enterprises in Malaysia," he stated

“Although World Social Enterprise Day is globally celebrated on the 3rd Thursday of November every year, we are holding the National Social Enterprise Day 2024 celebration today in conjunction with the SEMAI Summit 2024,” he said.

Ewon said that the government will continue its efforts to improve the social entrepreneurship ecosystem to develop more social enterprises in Malaysia.

“The Ministry has enhanced the social enterprise assessment framework to make the assessment process more transparent and effective.

“In addition, a new assessment level has been introduced, which is the Aspiring Social Enterprise or Aspiring SE level, so that more new entrepreneurs venturing into social enterprises can be assessed and encouraged to become social enterprises,” he said.

He said that since its introduction in January 2024 until now, a total of 79 social enterprises have been accredited as Aspiring Social Enterprises.

“The number of social enterprises accredited as Basic Social Enterprises is 224, while Accredited Social Enterprises are 20 as of May 27, 2024,” he said.

At the event, Ewon also presented the Accredited Social Enterprise Certification to 15 out of the 20 social entrepreneurs who have successfully obtained the accreditation.

Also present were the MEDC Secretary-General , Dato’ Sri Suriani Ahmad, senior officials of the ministry, heads of ministry agencies, corporates, financial institutions, social entrepreneurs, and youth from Higher Education Institutions (IPT).