Prudential Syariah Committed to Preparing Independent Young Entrepreneurs
Jakarta - PT Prudential Sharia Life Assurance (Prudential Syariah) has stated its commitment to preparing the younger generation as economically independent entrepreneurs.
Chief Customer & Marketing Officer of Prudential Syariah, Vivin Arbianti Gautama, said Indonesia has great potential for young people in business. However, surveys show that 60 per cent of young people admit they do not yet have sufficient funds to start a business, and 41 per cent feel confused about where to begin.
On the other hand, she noted, MSMEs contribute more than 60 per cent to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and absorb 97 per cent of Indonesia’s workforce.
This situation, according to her, moved Prudential Syariah and the Al-Azhar Amil and Zakat Institution (LAZ) to step in, not just as capital providers, but as partners in the younger generation’s journey towards economic independence and becoming future entrepreneurs.
“Empowerment is the most sustainable form of protection. When a young person has skills, capital and a network, they not only become independent for themselves, but also a pillar for their family, an inspiration for their community, and a contributor to their nation’s economy,” she said.
In relation to this, the two institutions collaborated to launch the Satu Inspirasi Generasi Berdampak (SIGAP) empowerment programme as an effort to empower the younger generation to be more economically independent.
Additionally, the Satu Social Space programme serves as a cross-generational community hub functioning as a sharia financial education point, an MSME collaboration space, and a literacy centre for the public.
“Through SIGAP and Satu Social Space, we want to ensure that every young Indonesian, especially those who have faced limited access to protection, has room to grow and the courage to dream bigger,” said Vivin Arbianti.
The SIGAP programme is designed as a comprehensive empowerment ecosystem for selected participants from both the general public and alumni of Rumah Gemilang Indonesia (RGI), a productive youth empowerment centre fostered by LAZ Al-Azhar that has produced thousands of independent individuals from across Indonesia.
Participants will receive financial management training, sharia financial literacy and inclusion education, business capital assistance, entrepreneurship training, and mentoring for the next two years.
Meanwhile, Satu Social Space is designed as an action space beneficial for anyone, a place to work for professionals and freelancers, a showcase for MSMEs including SIGAP beneficiaries to market their products or businesses, a free discussion room for students, a financial consultation point with experts, and a sustainable sharia financial literacy education centre.
Going forward, she added, the SIGAP and Satu Social Space programmes are intended to serve as a community empowerment model that can be replicated in various regions, while strengthening Indonesia’s inclusive and sustainable sharia economic ecosystem.