President's Special Staff urges cross-sector digital collaboration to empower 64 million MSMEs

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The President’s Special Staff for MSMEs and Digitalisation, Tiar N Karbala, is urging cross-sector collaboration to strengthen the empowerment of around 64 million micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) actors through digitalisation. Tiar stated that the government cannot work alone in addressing the challenges of empowering MSMEs spread across Indonesia. “The government cannot stand alone in handling such a vast array of issues from Sabang to Merauke,” said Tiar based on her statement in Jakarta on Monday. She emphasised the need for a spirit of mutual cooperation between the government, young talents, communities, digital platforms, and the private sector. “There must be a spirit of mutual cooperation where these programmes cannot be done alone, but must collaborate collectively with young talents, communities, and the private sector,” she said. Tiar conveyed this during the Strategic Dialogue at MitMe Fest 2026, held at M Bloc Space in South Jakarta from 24–26 April 2026. The festival, themed “Local Stories, Archipelagic Works”, focuses on strengthening capacity, technology literacy, and the MSME business ecosystem. Tiar highlighted the ongoing gap between internet penetration, which has reached 77–80 percent, and the digital literacy of business actors, which remains at a medium level. According to her, this situation needs to be addressed so that the utilisation of technology, including artificial intelligence or AI, does not widen the gap between large corporations and micro business actors. MitMe.id Ecosystem Founder Adhitya Noviardi said that MSMEs need to be empowered to grow faster and have access to business solutions. “For us, MSMEs should not just be treated as business objects, but must be empowered so they can grow faster and we can together build local stories,” said Adhitya. MitMe Fest 2026 features several programmes, including business level assessments, free strategic consultation corners, free halal certification facilitation, and creative workshops. Adhitya said that MitMe Fest is not just a showcase space, but also part of a long-term strategy for MSME mentoring. “We see that MSMEs not only need a stage, but also direction and access,” he said. MitMe is committed to continuing mentoring programmes, business education through digital applications, and the use of social media to help MSMEs grow sustainably.