Istiqlal Global Fund launches business incubator programme to strengthen MSMEs
Istiqlal Global Fund (IGF), one of the institutions under the Istiqlal Mosque Management Board (BPMI), has launched a Strategic Business Incubator as a step to strengthen micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) players so they can move up a level.
“Through the IGF Business Incubator, we provide a far more systematic coaching platform. We do not only sharpen business skills, but also carry out a transformation of mindset,” said Istiqlal Global Fund President Director Ahsanul Haq in a statement in Jakarta on Saturday.
Ahsanul said the IGF Business Incubator serves as a comprehensively structured business mentoring centre. IGF provides intensive facilities ranging from strengthening business management, improving product quality, accelerating digital adaptation, assisting with halal certification together with the Istiqlal Halal Center, to opening wider market access to boost the competitiveness of local products.
“The surge in the number of participants is clear evidence of the high commitment and motivation of MSME players to increase the scale of their businesses. Aspects of creativity, hygiene, tidiness, food product safety, and digital proficiency are the main pillars in our incubation curriculum,” said Ahsanul.
As part of the state mosque and one of the largest in the world, IGF is committed to making the place-of-worship-based economic governance at Istiqlal Mosque a pioneer as well as a national model. The economic empowerment model for the culinary and entrepreneurship sectors developed by IGF is ready to be replicated on a massive scale to various regions. The success of the initial replication has been demonstrated at the Arief Rahman Hakim Mosque, University of Indonesia Postgraduate Campus, Salemba, Central Jakarta.
Going forward, he said, IGF opens broad collaboration opportunities for mosque administrators throughout Indonesia to duplicate the business ecosystem.
Secretary of the Deputy for Entrepreneurship at the Ministry of MSMEs, Rahmadi, said IGF’s move helps business players to move up a level. “This concrete work is very helpful and implementative of the Ministry of MSMEs’ programmes. This programme reaches all sectors of the nation’s people because it is inclusive in concept for everyone. The success of this inclusivity is clearly visible on the ground, where many people enjoying the culinary offerings here come from next door, the Cathedral Church,” he said.
Director of Sharia Business and Entrepreneurship at the National Committee for Islamic Economy and Finance (KNEKS), Putu Rahwidhiyasa, said standardisation in the Istiqlal Special Zone plays a crucial role in guaranteeing products consumed by the public. “IGF’s coaching measures are very appropriate, because culinary products for the ummah must not only meet halal criteria, but must also meet strict safety and health standards,” he said.