Istiqlal Mosque's IGF Launches Business Incubator to Boost MSMEs
Istiqlal Global Fund (IGF), an institution under the Istiqlal Mosque Management Board (BPMI), has officially launched the IGF Business Incubator as an effort to strengthen and accelerate the development of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Indonesia. The launch was held simultaneously with the relaunching of the Istiqlal Halal, Safe, and Healthy Culinary Zone (Zona Khas) and the signing of a cooperation agreement between IGF, the National Committee for Islamic Economy and Finance (KNEKS), and the Ministry of MSMEs at Al-Fattah Plaza, Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta, on Friday (21/8/2026).
IGF President Director Ahsanul Haq said the IGF Business Incubator is designed as a business mentoring centre that provides structured and comprehensive coaching. The programme not only aims to improve business capabilities but also to encourage a shift in the mindset of MSME players.
“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 the man familiarly known as Anol.
According to him, a number of aspects are the main focus of the incubation curriculum, ranging from creativity, hygiene, tidiness, food product safety, to digital proficiency. In addition to strengthening management and product quality, IGF also provides assistance in digital adaptation, halal certification processing through the Istiqlal Halal Center, and opens wider market access for the products of its assisted MSMEs.
Anol revealed that the number of MSMEs within the IGF-assisted ecosystem has experienced significant growth. In the initial stage, around 120 business actors joined and received halal certification facilities. That number has now increased by about 200 percent to around 360 assisted MSMEs.
“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,” he said.
Anol stated that as part of the state mosque and one of the largest mosques in the world, Istiqlal Mosque has a responsibility to present a mosque-based community economic empowerment model. Therefore, IGF is committed to making the economic ecosystem developed at Istiqlal Mosque a pioneer as well as a national role model.
The economic empowerment model through the culinary and entrepreneurship sectors is considered to have the potential to be replicated in various mosques across Indonesia.