SUNGAI NIBONG, PENANG, 5 January 2025 – Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) held the launch of a Kampung Angkat MADANI (KAM 2025) programme at Dewan Masjid Ittifaq, Sungai Nibong as part of the closing ceremony for the project and the KAM programme which has been going on since last June.

The ceremony that was held on 23 December 2025 was aimed to strengthen the well-being of the community via a development approach that is inclusive, sustainable and, giving a high impact.

USM Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dato’ Seri Ir. Dr. Abdul Rahman Mohamed said, this initiative is not merely symbolic, it is in fact, marked a long-term commitment by the university in collaboratively developing a local community, which is in line with the aspirations of Malaysia MADANI.

“USM believes that the role of a university goes beyond education and research. We also carry the obligation of social responsibility by directly contributing to the well-being of the society,” he said.

He continued by saying that this programme was planned based on the principles of stakeholder engagement, as well as cooperation between the university and the community.

Among the main initiatives implemented were on youth entrepreneurship development, improvement of community infrastructure, health initiative, as well as social and recreational activities which include a sports court to benefit recreational activities in the community.

“Various programmes were implemented to cater to the general needs of the community, at the same time raising their standard of living and social resilience of the Sungai Nibong community,” he added.

He also extended his gratitude to the community leaders for their active involvement, the youth groups, government agencies, and every USM department which took part in making the project a success.

The programme was officiated by the ADUN of Batu Uban, YB Kumaresan Aramugan who also signed the plaque officiating the opening of the Community Sports Court.

Throughout 2025, the KAM 2025 initiative had implemented a variety of high-impact programmes which had been specially planned to cater to the broader needs of the Sungai Nibong community.

Also present were at the programme USM Deputy Vice-Chancellor Industry & Community Network, Professor Dr. Azlan Amran; Director of Community Network, Division of Industry & Community Network (BJIM) USM, Associate Professor Dr. Muhammad Izzuddin Syakir Ishak; Chief Executive Officer, Penang Development Corporation (PDC), Dato’ Haji Aziz Bakar; and Chairman, National Villages Development and Safety Committee (JKKKP) of Sungai Nibong, Tuan Haji Roslan Mohamed.

Text: Sharifah Darweena Syed Ahmad Amir Feisal, Community Network Office, BJIM USM/Translation: Mazlan Hanafi Basharudin