"As of today, a National Entrepreneurship Movement has been started," Sjarifuddin said at a ceremony also attended by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
The program was aimed at creating more new entrepreneurs in Indonesia.
The minister said the number of entrepreneurs in Indonesia now was only 0.24 percent of the total population whereas it needed at least two percent to be a developed country.
"Through the program, we expect to raise the number of entrepreneurs by a minimum of two percent," he said.
He said if the target could be achieved, the number of unemployed and poor people could be minimized and the people`s welfare improved.
Hasan said many efforts had been made to support the GKN program like developing human resources, improving the funding program and promoting businessmen with potentials.
"The ministry is working with state-owned enterprises, banking and communities with the aim of improving quality, quantity and existence of the GKN itself," he said.
Besides, the government had also provided several programs in supporting the plan like a thousand entrepreneurship scholarships, entrepreneurship training, Partnership and Environmental Development Program (PKBL), Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) financing, The National Program for Community Empowerment (PNPM Mandiri) and micro credit (KUR) which by this year was targeted to reach Rp20 trillion without any guarantee.
"This is what we (the government) has committed to encourage Indonesian young generation to be the expert in entrepreneurship and to be able to create jobs rather than seek jobs," he said.
Likewise the marketing program which was led to ease the young businessmen in promoting their products, he added.
"We also have cooperated with other ministries to maximize the function of marketing to be promoted either domestically or internationally," he said.
He also added the Ministry provided a showroom, Smesco Building, for the young businessmen to display their products. Moreover, he hoped that the GKN program could be the turning point of synergy for stakeholders to create more young independent challenging entrepreneurs.
"We`ll bring this country into the best on new economic country through entrepreneurship," he said.
President Yudhoyono in his remarks said that he was glad and proud of the younger generation who were willing to be businessmen.
"A businessman is someone who has ideas, is creative and innovative. He is brave enough to do something new and a risk-taker," the President said here Wednesday.
To be an entrepreneur, Yudhoyono said, one must actively work to develop one`w own life. (*)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
