P036 PROJECT IMPACT STUDY: CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS OF THE GREEN COMMUNITY-BASED SOCIAL ENTERPRISE PARTNERSHIP IN THE WEST COAST DIVISION OF SABAH
Abstract
Abstract
Community-based social enterprises (CBSEs) have increasingly been recognised as an effective mechanism for promoting sustainable livelihoods, environmental stewardship, and socio-economic empowerment among disadvantaged communities. This study evaluates the impact of the Freshwater Lobster Production–Green Aquaponics Perennial System (FLP-GAPS), an RM3.5 million flagship initiative funded by TERAJU under the Dana Pembangunan Usahawan Bumiputera and implemented by Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Sabah Branch. The project integrates freshwater lobster production, green aquaponics, and perennial agriculture into a sustainable community enterprise model designed to improve the socio-economic well-being of B40 households in the West Coast Division of Sabah. An impact assessment was conducted after three years of project implementation (2023–2025) to evaluate the extent to which the project achieved its intended objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs) stipulated in the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between UiTM and TERAJU. Using a purposive homogeneous sampling approach, data were collected from 80 eKasih-registered participants and six landowners from six villages in the West Coast Division of Sabah who voluntarily contributed land for project implementation. The study focused on identifying the critical success factors (CSFs) that influenced project sustainability, community participation, and overall performance. The findings indicate that strong institutional collaboration, community commitment, strategic resource sharing, continuous capacity building, effective project governance, and stakeholder engagement were the principal critical success factors contributing to the successful implementation of FLP-GAPS. The project generated positive socio-economic and environmental outcomes by enhancing participants’ entrepreneurial capacity, promoting sustainable agricultural practices, and strengthening community resilience through a green social enterprise ecosystem. This study contributes to the growing body of knowledge on project impact evaluation and community-based social entrepreneurship by providing empirical evidence on the factors underpinning the successful implementation of integrated green enterprise initiatives. The identified critical success factors offer practical guidance for policymakers, funding agencies, higher education institutions, and community organisations in designing and implementing sustainable community grant programmes and social enterprise partnerships.
Keywords: project impact assessment; critical success factors; community-based social enterprise; green entrepreneurship; aquaponics; freshwater lobster production; Sabah
