Agro Youth Summit 2025: MAIDAM Initiative To Break Poverty Cycle

KUALA NERUS, July 24 (Bernama) -- The Agro Youth Summit 2025, organised by the Terengganu Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIDAM) through its Education Foundation, has the potential to become a key platform for breaking the cycle of poverty, particularly in Terengganu.

MAIDAM chief executive officer Associate Professor Datuk Dr Ahmad Azrin Adnan said the programme, which involves 188 students from various higher education institutions across the state, goes beyond academic content - focusing also on character development, leadership, social innovation, and financial literacy.

“Most of the students or participants here today come from underprivileged families. We are starting this financial literacy programme for higher education students because we believe that breaking the cycle of poverty begins with the second generation - the children of these families,” he said.

He shared this with Bernama after officiating the closing ceremony of the Agro Youth Summit 2025 at the Mahyuddin Auditorium, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), today.

Ahmad Azrin added that the programme was made possible through Agrobank’s business zakat and zakat wakalah contributions, with Agrobank serving as the main sponsor. Other strategic partners include the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama), the Credit Counselling and Debt Management Agency (AKPK), UMT, and Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin.

“So, let’s see how zakat wakalah can be optimally distributed through programmes like this, aimed at improving financial literacy among students from asnaf families.

“We want to move away from the traditional concept of giving direct cash assistance and instead channel it into initiatives that focus on capacity building,” he said.

Following the success of the programme, he added that MAIDAM is considering expanding similar financial literacy initiatives, not only for students but also for other zakat aid recipients in the future.

The one-day programme featured a variety of beneficial modules for participants, including financial planning, an introduction to cash flow management, awareness of financial fraud, social media management, and special sessions with Agrobank.

Meanwhile, Agrobank chief development officer Ahmad Ariff Abu Bakar said the bank was honoured to be part of such a high-impact initiative, which aligns with Agrobank’s mission to support the people, particularly those from low-income groups.

“Our role goes beyond providing financial services - we are also committed to equipping communities with essential knowledge, such as financial literacy. In addition, we run programmes to support young entrepreneurs, especially those in the agriculture sector,” he said.

Also in attendance were MAIDAM Education Foundation chief executive officer Norhana Yaakub, and AKPK’s representative Junainah Ahmad Esa.

-- BERNAMA