He conveyed this at the Indonesian Digital Finance Economy Festival 2024 in Jakarta on Thursday.
Based on the Digital Competitiveness Index of East Ventures, regions in Java Island are still dominating with high scores in digital competitiveness.
This, he explained, is because the island is supported by the relatively equal distribution of digital infrastructure.
However, despite not being a part of Java, Southeast Sulawesi is among the top 8 regions with the highest scores.
"Southeast Sulawesi is in the top 8 because of its location and the digital infrastructure project as well as the Palapa Ring (fiber optic project)," he said.
Furthermore, he underlined that adequate digital talents are needed for the continual development of the digital economy.
In addition, he said that strengthening the foundation must also be followed by increasing financial inclusion to achieve targets.
Several programs such as QR Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS) are continuing to be encouraged through the National Council for Financial Inclusion and third-party collaborations, such as the Strive Program with Mastercard Indonesia and Promise II Impact with the International Labour Organization (ILO).
These collaborations are directed at increasing access to financial services, as well as expanding financial literacy to achieve the financial inclusion target of 90 percent in 2024.
In late 2023, the Indonesian government completed the National Strategy for Digital Economy 2030 to help the digital sector contribute to Indonesia's gross domestic product (GDP) in stages. The sector's contribution is targeted to reach 20 percent by 2045.
At the regional level, Indonesia has also reached an agreement to prepare the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) to advance digitalization and interoperability.
According to Hartarto, with the agreement, ASEAN's digital economy is projected to reach US$2 trillion by 2030.
"Thus, Indonesia's digital economy in 2030, which is estimated to be at US$360 billion, will increase to US$600 billion," he said.
Related news: Minister outlines programs for equitable digital infra development
Related news: Government ensures Microsoft to not regret investing in Indonesia
Related news: Govt focuses on developing infrastructure to boost financial inclusion
Translator: Bayu Saputra, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
Copyright © ANTARA 2024
