VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Deputy of Entrepreneurship at the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs Siti Azizah has encouraged micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to join the digital ecosystem to help recover  Indonesia's economy. 

The MSMEs played a crucial role in the National Economic Recovery (PEN) program, she told a press conference held virtually and live in Solo, Central Java, on Thursday.

Azizah highlighted that some 99 percent of businesses are MSMEs that absorb 97 percent of Indonesia's total workforce and contribute 61 percent of the nation's GDP.

"From this data, we can see how important the MSMEs are for PEN. This can be achieved through synergy and collaboration with all parties -- the central government, regional administrations, ministries or institutions, and, of course, private parties," she elaborated.

The government is targeting to digitally migrate 30 million MSMEs by 2024 in accordance with the directive of President Joko Widodo. Hence, collaboration among various parties and stakeholders can be expected to help achieve that target, she emphasized.

Citizens also play a vital role in the MSMEs ecosystem since they are the primary consumers for Indonesian products, she added.

Azizah stressed that Indonesia should be proud, and Indonesian products should be bought.

"Hence, once again, people, please buy Indonesian products. MSMEs entrepreneurs, do not be afraid to go digital," she emphasized.

In addition, Azizah stated that the #BangkitBersama Movement carried out by GoTo, Indonesia's technology giant, comprising Gojek, GoTo Financial, and Tokopedia, is part of the efforts of all parties to drive improvement in MSMEs in order to grow Indonesia's economy. (Antaranews)