‘EMPOWERING B40 VITAL ROLE OF SOCIAL ENTERPRISES’

Govt’s 10-year plan shows impact of such businesses, says Pepper Labs co-founder

SOCIAL enterprises are gaining pace and interest as their role in boosting economic empowerment among the Bottom 40 (B40) group has become increasingly crucial, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Pepper Labs co-founder Kuhan Pathy said this was evident through the recently announced 10-year Malaysia S o c i a l E ntrepreneurship Blueprint 2030 (SEMy2030).

He said the government’s allocation for social entrepreneurship had quadrupled from RM10 million in 2018 to RM40 million in the 2022 Budget.

“There has been much attention on social enterprises in Malaysia, which is evident through the SEMy2030, which was recently launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

“This is the 10-year roadmap that many social entrepreneurs will follow during the next decade. In Malaysia, 441 social enterprises have been registered,” he said during an interview recently.

This year, Kuhan said, Pepper Labs aimed to take the regional leadership initiative, leveraging the global traction that the company had achieved over the years.

According to Pepper Lab’s recent impact report, the company had contributed RM4.5 million in social reinvestment towards the community and infrastructure.

This has benefitted 500 beneficiaries since its inception in 2015.

Recently, Kuhan was selected to join the Obama Foundation Leaders Asia-Pacific programme.

The programme will train participants in leadership development and community engagement to help build their skills and scale their work across public, private and non-profit sectors.

He said the company had been advocating many issues, including tax exemption, social and government procurements and accreditation.

“This year, we are going to step out of the country.

“As of now, we have good policies for social entrepreneurship.

“We will explore how to place Malaysia outside of not just at Asean level strategically, but even globally,” he said.

In December last year, Pepper Labs emerged as the distinguished Inclusive Business award winner at the Asean Business Awards 2021.

The company has been recognised for its work in driving social transformation by providing capacity building to enrich lives and create sustainable digital and economic empowerment for inclusive growth.

As of now, we have good policies for social entrepreneurship. We will explore how to place Malaysia outside of not just at Asean level strategically, but even globally.

KUHAN PATHY Pepper Labs co-founder