Minister Praises East Kalimantan for Streamlining MSME Licensing
The Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) has expressed high appreciation for the East Kalimantan Provincial Government for facilitating easier licensing and certification for MSMEs, enabling them to grow.
“It is extraordinary; I am surprised. Based on the feedback from MSME entrepreneurs here, they are being served very quickly and easily,” stated the Minister of MSMEs, Mujuarto (Maman) Abdurrahman, during the opening of the Micro Business Ease and Protection Festival at the BSCC Dome Balikpapan on Wednesday.
According to Maman, this bureaucratic efficiency serves as tangible proof that the East Kalimantan Provincial Government, alongside regency and municipal governments, possesses a significant commitment to boosting regional economic growth by strengthening the grassroots sector.
“The policies, breakthroughs, and positive steps taken by the East Kalimantan Provincial Government and all regencies and cities are well-deserving of being categorised as MSME-friendly,” Maman asserted.
Responding to this assessment, the Governor of East Kalimantan, Rudy Mas’ud, explained that his administration has developed a strategic roadmap to strengthen the local business ecosystem. He noted that the provincial government is placing great emphasis on priority programmes throughout 2026, focusing on digitalisation, standardisation, and international market expansion.
Several ongoing priority programmes include the Cooperative Empowerment and Protection Programme, which involves intensive mentoring for the transformation of modern cooperatives and the strengthening of real-sector cooperatives.
“We are also implementing the MSME Development Programme and Technical Guidance (Bimtek) for Export SMEs. Our target this year is to produce 100 export-ready SMEs through certification facilitation, partnership expansion, and the enhancement of digital SME literacy,” Rudy explained.
Furthermore, the East Kalimantan Provincial Government is actively facilitating entrepreneurs to enter global markets through export development programmes. Concrete steps include participation in the Trade Expo Indonesia, business matching agendas, and upstream-to-downstream assistance for both active and prospective exporters from East Kalimantan.
In terms of human resource capacity building, the provincial government aims to empower ,1050 MSMEs throughout the 2025–2026 period via the Integrated Entrepreneurship Development Programme (PKT). This programme encompasses various practical vocational training, such as culinary arts, barista training, digital printing, and sewing, as well as facilitating official competency certifications for SME players.
Rudy added that the distribution of the PKT programme is being carried out gradually to ensure economic equality across the ‘Benua Etam’ region.
“The PKT programme is being rolled out across all regencies and cities. The first phase began in 2025 in Samarinda, Balikpapan, and Kutai Kartanegara. In 2026, the programme will expand to Bontang, Penajam Paser Utara (PPU), and other areas,” he clarified.
To ensure the future sustainability of the business ecosystem, the East Kalimantan Provincial Government is also building a long-term foundation through the ‘Jospol’ project. This strategic project includes the physical development of downstream industries, such as Shared Production Houses (RPB) and industrial zones. Ongoing projects include the Animal Feed RPB and the Pamigo RPB in the Kutai Kartanegara Regency.
Meanwhile, the massive physical infrastructure development for industrial zones is scheduled to commence in 2027. In addition to production facilities, the provincial government is also focusing on improving the supply chain by establishing a Provincial Distribution Centre (PDP). This logistics infrastructure is expected to shorten raw material supplier distribution routes, thereby ensuring more stable prices.