Ministry urges MSMEs to utilise SAPA platform for strategic programmes

The Indonesian Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (UMKM) is encouraging business owners to utilise the SAPA UMKM innovation to access strategic government programmes, ranging from training and product certification to financing, investment, and market expansion. “SAPA UMKM is an information service platform provided by the Ministry to make it easier for business owners to obtain information on government-run business development programmes,” said Yogia Prihartini, Assistant Deputy for Small Business Supply Chain and Marketing Partnerships at the Ministry of UMKM, during the Kota Masa Depan UMKM event held by Grab and OVO in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, on Thursday. Through the platform, she explained, MSMEs can access programmes to improve human resource capacity and entrepreneurship through training, business mentoring, digital literacy, and managerial competency enhancement to strengthen business competitiveness. “Business owners can also gain access to product certification and standardisation services needed to improve product quality while bolstering the competitiveness of MSMEs in both domestic and international markets,” she said. SAPA UMKM also provides access to information on financing and investment that business owners can use to strengthen capital, increase productivity, and accelerate business development. According to her, strengthening partnerships and supply chains is an important aspect that MSMEs need to leverage, as it can open up wider cooperation opportunities with various parties in the business ecosystem. The platform also supports the expansion of market access for MSMEs, both for domestic and global markets, giving local products a greater chance to reach a wider consumer base. In supporting MSME development, the Ministry of UMKM continues to strengthen synergy with various stakeholders, including central and regional governments, non-governmental organisations, academics, the private sector, marketplaces, financial technology companies, the media, and the community. “We hope business owners can optimally utilise SAPA UMKM as a gateway to access various strategic government programmes, so they can increase business capacity, strengthen competitiveness, expand markets, and enhance the contribution of MSMEs to the national economy,” Yogia said.