Islamic Cooperative Development Strategy in Thailand

Although Islamic cooperatives in Thailand are growing rapidly, they still face numerous internal and external challenges in their development. This study aims to identify and analyze the problems, solutions, and strategies for developing Islamic cooperatives in Thailand. The research employs the Analytic Network Process (ANP) to process primary data collected from respondents representing experts, practitioners, and academics through interviews with twelve specialists using purposive sampling. The ANP analysis reveals that the development issues of Islamic cooperatives are divided into internal and external problems. The main internal problem is human resources, followed by financing provisions, independent Sharia supervisors, and financing issues. Externally, regulation is the primary problem, followed by public knowledge. Regarding solutions, standard operating procedures are the top internal solution, followed by training, establishing independent Sharia supervisors, and benchmarking. Academic texts are the main external solution, followed by community outreach. Priority internal strategies include cooperation, work programs, recruitment, and member meetings, while external strategies focus on collaboration with universities and community mapping. This comprehensive approach provides actionable insights to support the sustainable growth of Islamic cooperatives in Thailand