Rohani poses for the camera after signing the banner at the launch of the programme.
KUCHING: Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) has successfully turned RM1.194 billion in government grant into a whopping RM17.28 billion.
Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim said the increase in value was 14 times more than the grant doled out by the government.
“This success shown by AIM depicts not only the positive impact displayed by AIM borrowers, but also AIM’s global reputation.
“I was made to understand that AIM has been named the ‘Best Islamic Microfinance Institution’ under the Global Islamic Finance Awards for five consecutive years since 2013,” she said at the Ikhtiar Entrepreneurs Programme organised by the AIM Kuching branch at Damai Central in Santubong, near here yesterday.
Rohani said AIM and Malaysians ought to be proud of the achievement given that many had played a role in the success.
She added that the success would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the AIM team in focusing on the betterment of borrowers.
According to her, AIM is a microfinance institution to uplift the standard of living of Malaysians, particularly the needy and those in the low-income group.
“Since its inauguration in 1987, AIM has played its role well and this is shown in our increasing household income as well as the increasing number of micro entrepreneurs. Such increases do help a lot in bringing down the national poverty rate as a whole,” she pointed out.
As of September this year, Malaysia registered 134 AIM branches with 324,491 active borrowers.