Some 92 percent of the funding comes from SOE banks. The funding is available, and it is just a matter of willingness to take it or notJakarta (ANTARA) - State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir confirmed that his ministry and other SOEs had distributed financing amounting to Rp386 trillion to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
"Some 92 percent of the funding comes from SOE banks. The funding is available, and it is just a matter of willingness to take it or not," Thohir noted here, Monday.
The minister later remarked that MSMEs have an important role in the national economy owing to the significant contribution to the Indonesian economy, with the ability to create more job opportunities.
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"The world has changed so much, and if we do not adapt and have no digital understanding, we will not show progress. The digital world will change the type of business. We have to help each other, otherwise, we are just spectators, especially in this digital era," the minister stated.
To support the development of MSMEs, SOEs provide free online training and assistance to 30 thousand MSMEs across Indonesia. The program is expected to help MSMEs market their products in the digital world and optimize their performances.
Earlier, some 20 thousand MSMEs had successfully participated in the Go Online program.
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Thohir said that the program was in line with President Joko Widodo's (Jokowi's) directive to encourage MSME owners to utilize the online platform for their sales.
The training, which aims to improve the ability of MSMEs actors to run their businesses, will be offered in stages for three months, starting from August to October.
Experts and professionals in the field of e-commerce are also involved in teaching 500 MSMEs in each class every day. In the implementation, SOEs collaborate with digital platforms that have a digital MSME ecosystem, such as Shopee, Tokopedia, and Gojek.
"I urge all SOEs and SOE houses to have training for MSMEs. Their products, design, and taste must be polished to be able to go digital. I also thank Gojek, Shopee, and Tokopedia for helping our MSMEs," the minister remarked.
He also emphasized that the Indonesian economy is a people's economy. Businesses in Indonesia must be able to collaborate and support one another. MSMEs, as the largest job generators, should not be left behind.
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Translator: Aji Cakti, Resinta S
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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