USM-FAMA DRIVE STUDENT ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT THROUGH WUS101 ENTREPRENEURSHIP EXPO 2026, ATTRACTING 2,000 VISITORS

USM-FAMA DRIVE STUDENT ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT THROUGH WUS101 ENTREPRENEURSHIP EXPO 2026, ATTRACTING 2,000 VISITORS

NIBONG TEBAL, 13 May 2026 - Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), through the Co-Curriculum Programme Centre of the Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Engineering Campus in strategic collaboration with the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA), successfully organised the WUS101 Entrepreneurship Expo 2026 today, attracting approximately 2,000 visitors.

The programme not only served as a practical learning platform for students, but also reflected the shared commitment of USM and FAMA in advancing student entrepreneurship development, digital marketing, and the local entrepreneurial ecosystem in a more comprehensive and impactful manner.

In her speech, the Campus Director of the Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Engineering Campus, USM, Professor Ir. Dr. Mariatti Jaafar @ Mustapha, expressed appreciation to FAMA for its willingness to collaborate with USM in making the expo a success.

According to her, the collaboration created broader opportunities for students to better understand the real entrepreneurship ecosystem, particularly in the context of local entrepreneur development and the food industry.

“The organisation of this expo is highly significant as it marks the first collaboration with FAMA and serves as an important platform to strengthen the relationship between higher education institutions and industry agencies in producing graduates who are more competitive, versatile, and prepared to face current challenges,” she said.

She further shared that approximately 800 students enrolled in the WUS101 course this semester, making it one of the highest participation rates compared to previous years, with 167 sales booths managed entirely by students as part of the course learning component.

She added that such exposure provides significant added value to students as they are not only learning entrepreneurship theories in classrooms, but are also gaining real-life experience in operations management, marketing, finance, customer communication, and teamwork.

The expo also featured the participation of 30 entrepreneurs and vendors under FAMA, offering various Agro-Based Industry products, thus providing students and visitors the opportunity to observe firsthand how local products are professionally marketed and developed.

Meanwhile, FAMA Penang Director, Mohd Hafiz Nurulhuda, said that in today’s rapidly evolving digital era, digital marketing has become a strategic necessity in ensuring the sustainability and competitiveness of local products.

According to him, FAMA remains committed to strengthening the nation’s agricultural marketing system while creating strategic involvement opportunities for young people, particularly university students, as digital marketing agents.

“University students play an important role in this programme as they are not only technologically literate and creative in digital content creation, but also possess strong potential to become a bridge between FAMA-guided entrepreneurs and wider digital markets,” he said.

He added that FAMA is also strengthening the use of AgroBazaar Online (ABO) as the main e-commerce platform for products by entrepreneurs under its guidance, while students involved as digital marketing agents assist in content management, product promotion, and market expansion through creative approaches and focused digital strategies.

Also present were the Deputy Director of the Co-Curriculum Programme Centre, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Engineering Campus, USM, Associate Professor Dr. Mohd Salman Abu Mansor; Deputy Director (Food Security and Operations) of FAMA Penang, Mohd Faisol Ghazali; Chairman of Sports and Culture Programme, Co-Curriculum Programme Centre, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Engineering Campus, USM, Associate Professor Dr. Azam Taufik Mohd Din; as well as Coordinator of the Entrepreneurship Core Course (WUS101), USM, Dr. Inzarulfaisham Abd Rahim.

Text: Siti Faizah Abd Halim/Photo: Muhammad Taufik Abdul Rahman