Women's SMEs as Economic Drivers, Government Strengthens Digitalisation and Intellectual Property
Strengthening the capacity of women in micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) is seen as key to driving national economic growth. This comes amid women’s dominance, reaching 64.5 per cent of the total MSME actors in Indonesia.
Hundreds of women entrepreneurs attended intellectual property (IP) and digital marketing training organised by Tokopedia and TikTok Shop for Kartini Day in Jakarta on Wednesday (22/4/2026). The programme involves collaboration between the government and the private sector to bolster MSME competitiveness in the digital era.
The initiative arises because, out of around 64 million MSMEs in Indonesia, 88.95 per cent do not yet have IP, and 68 per cent have not utilised digital spaces. However, IP ownership and digital marketing skills are considered vital for creating sustainable businesses while improving the welfare of entrepreneurs.
“Meanwhile, 64.5% of total MSME actors are women. IP ownership and content creation skills are increasingly crucial for women entrepreneurs to #SellComfortably in the digital era. These two aspects can create sustainable businesses and enhance welfare,” said Senior Director of Tokopedia and TikTok Shop Indonesia, Vonny Ernita Susamto, in a statement on Thursday (23/4/2026).
Deputy Minister of Trade, Dyah Roro Esti Widya Putri, stated that women entrepreneurs play a strategic role in the national economy. Therefore, capacity building through digitalisation and IP protection needs to be continuously encouraged.
“Women entrepreneurs play a significant role in the national economy. Strengthening MSME capacity through digitalisation and IP protection is very important so that entrepreneurs can level up and be competitive,” she said.
IP ownership not only protects product identity but also opens access to financing. The government has prepared an IP-based People’s Business Credit (KUR) scheme that allows registered trademarks and copyrights to be used as additional collateral, with a loan ceiling of up to Rp 500 million.