Malaysia, Indonesia Strengthen Rural Cooperation in Eight Areas
JAKARTA: Malaysia and Indonesia are strengthening cooperation in rural development through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) covering eight key areas, including digitalisation, entrepreneurship, ecotourism, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), and poverty eradication.
The MoU was signed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Rural and Regional Development Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on behalf of Malaysia, while Indonesia was represented by Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions Yandri Susanto.
Among the eight areas agreed upon under the MoU are capacity building in village management, digitalisation for rural development, rural entrepreneurship and village enterprise development.
Other areas include ecotourism and agrotourism, as well as technical and vocational education and training (TVET) for rural youth.
At a press conference later, Ahmad Zahid invited Susanto to visit Malaysia to observe the implementation of rural development initiatives firsthand.
“Insya-Allah, perhaps we can share our experiences and learn from each other for the benefit and well-being of rural communities,” he said.
Meanwhile, Susanto said cooperation between Malaysia and Indonesia in the eight areas would be translated into actual implementation on the ground through the establishment of a team comprising technical officers from both countries.
Sinar Harian