Driving the People's Economy: Government Enhances Capacity of Women-led MSMEs

The Financial Services Authority (OJK) has reported that 64.5 per cent of the 65.5 million MSMEs in Indonesia are managed by women. However, as company scales increase, the proportion of women as business owners tends to decrease.

Marroli J. Indarto, Director of Partnership, Communication, and Public Relations at the Ministry of Communication and Digital, stated that this trend is why the government continues to strengthen the capacity and networks of female entrepreneurs. This initiative was manifested through the ‘She-Connects: Women Go Digital, MSMEs Go Beyond’ talk show, attended by approximately 250 women from MSMEs, business communities, universities, and the digital ecosystem in Surabaya, East Java.

Marroli emphasised the importance of strengthening the role of women in MSMEs so they can grow and ‘move up a class’ by utilising digital technology. “When we speak about women in MSMEs, we are not talking about a small or supplementary economic group, but a significant figure,” Marroli said in a statement on Thursday, 30 July 2026.

According to him, women have long been the backbone of the family economy and a primary driver of the people’s economy. Therefore, the empowerment of women MSME owners must be continuously strengthened to enable them to expand their business scale. However, despite the large number of female MSME players reaching approximately 37 million according to OJK data, this has not yet been accompanied by equal opportunities for growth.

“A large number does not always mean equal opportunity. This is what we need to underline; it is not a matter of women being unable to grow, but rather that the ladder they are climbing has fewer footholds,” said Marroli.

Through this talk show, the Ministry of Communication and Digital hopes the event serves not merely as a platform for sharing experiences, but as a means to build connections, strengthen capacity, and pave the way forward. “Strong partnerships and networks will open more opportunities for women to develop their businesses and increase competitiveness in the digital era,” he added.

The event featured three inspiring speakers: womanpreneur and influencer Ayana Jihie Moon, the founder of Doesoen Roti and The Overtee Stefani Angelia, and the founder of Namira Ecoprint, Yayuk Agustin. They shared their experiences in building businesses, utilising digital technology, and expanding markets through innovation and collaboration.