Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD) on Sunday showcased its commitment to support the nation in its drive to spur economic diversification by developing the private sector through entrepreneurship.

During the get-together ceremony for the Brunei-Muara District in conjunction with His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam’s 76th birthday celebration, members of the royal family visited a booth featuring BIBD’s latest collaboration with multiple agencies including the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA), the Islamic Da’wah Centre (PDI) and Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah through the Tunas Project.

The Tunas Project (Projek Tunas) is a collaboration between BIBD and the MoHA to provide a marketplace for underprivileged individuals to earn a living as well as the opportunity for micro and small enterprises to learn and train in key skills required to establish themselves into successful entrepreneurs.

Vendors in the project include underprivileged participants from BIBD SEED programme (Special Entrepreneurial Empowerment and Development Scheme), One Village One Product (1K1P) under the MoHA, Muallafpreneurs Consortium from the PDI, and Usahawan Bakarih Yayasan.

Currently, there are 34 participating vendors providing more than 76 products – BIBD SEED (9), 1K1P (15), Muallafpreneurs Consortium (7) and Usahawan Bakarih Yayasan (7).

“Our aim is to produce and help the underprivileged, hone them with entrepreneurial skills together with digital skills in doing their business. Our ultimate vision is to produce vendors who are sustainable and also resilient in terms of doing business especially in today’s day and age where there a lot of challenges and also the ability to conduct business digitally,” said BIBD’s Acting Managing Director and CEO Hajah Noraini binti Haji Sulaiman.

BIBD also provides support by sharing experience and expertise to help them grow their businesses.

Also taking part in on Sunday’s showcase were three ‘kidspreneurs’, who won in the Kasturi Stand workshop – the bank’s entrepreneurship mentoring programme for children aged seven to 12 to provide an opportunity for new creative enterprises to become part of the local MSMEs ecosystem.

-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin