Guangzhou: Angkatan Koperasi Kebangsaan Malaysia Berhad (ANGKASA) is calling on the International Cooperative Alliance Asia and Pacific (ICA-AP) to strengthen efforts to market cooperative products and services across Asia Pacific nations.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, ANGKASA's president, Datuk Seri Dr Abdul Fattah Abdullah, who also serves as ICA-AP vice-president, emphasized the necessity for comprehensive collaborations between regional cooperatives to enhance cooperatives-to-cooperatives (C-2-C) market access. He highlighted the importance of Asia Pacific cooperatives playing a significant role in fostering long-term collaborations, market access facilities, and incentives that can stimulate production and marketing across various business sectors. This suggestion was proposed during his participation in the ICA-AP board meeting and an international workshop in Guangzhou, China.
The ICA-AP board meeting, which began on Wednesday and is set to conclude today, was attended by cooperative leaders from across the Asia Pacific region, including countries such as China, the Philippines, India, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Abdul Fattah also underscored the importance of drafting and finalizing the strategic direction of Asia Pacific cooperatives for the next five years during the ICA-AP Strategic Plan 2026-2030 meeting.
He stated that the strategic direction should be inclusive and sustainable, focusing on raising public understanding of the cooperative movement as a lifestyle while strengthening cooperative businesses on both regional and global levels.
ANGKASA reiterated its commitment to expanding and strengthening markets for local cooperative products globally. The organization described its active international participation as evidence of Malaysia's continued dedication to reinforcing the cooperative movement on both regional and global scales.
The statement highlighted that this aligns with ANGKASA's role in expanding international networking to enhance the potential of cooperatives in business, development, and economic growth, as well as directing the development of the cooperative movement within the Asia Pacific region.