VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs is formulating a national digital economic strategy to help the nation face the challenges of technological advancement, a ministry official said on Tuesday.

Deputy for creative economy, entrepreneurship, and cooperatives and small, medium enterprises (SME) competitiveness at the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, M Rudy Salahuddin, said the strategy, which is being formulated by his office, will serve as an accommodating policy to support the creation of a level playing field, the empowerment of SMEs, and development of human resources with advanced skills.

"The scope of the digital economy is vast and unlimited, that digital ecosystems become complex and interconnected with one another, so they require special treatment and cannot be equated with conventional policies," he said at the virtual Indonesia Digital Conference. He joined the event from Jakarta on Tuesday.

Salahuddin said the national digital economy strategy is being formulated to realize the main vision of sustainable and inclusive economic growth, in line with the complexities of many intertwined policies.

Every ministry and institution has policies related to digital economy, which need to be merged into one national strategy, he explained.

The Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs has completed formulating the outline of the strategy, he said adding, discussions on the strategy are expected to begin next year and would involve related stakeholders.

The challenges to developing the digital economy in the country, he continued, include overlapping policies, high demand for digital talent, low level of digital literacy, and less-than-optimal exploration of the potential of the digital economy sector.

"This national strategy will also become the main framework and guideline in the development of the needs for digital economy in the country, for all stakeholders," he remarked.

The national framework will be sustained by four main pillars: digital talent, research and innovation, physical and digital infrastructure, as well as supporting policies and regulations.

"The strategy will also be derived into an action plan with timeframes, including medium and short ones, as well as the ones in between," he informed.

It is expected that all four pillars will bring added value and develop capacities of all business-makers, the people, and the government, and thus help achieve sustainable economic development, he added.

"This is what we will push. We hope amid the pandemic, we can prepare a national strategy for the digital economy, so that after the pandemic, it can be a referral for all stakeholders," he remarked. (antaranews)