The Indonesian government, through the Ministry of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (KemenKopUKM), is in talks for collaboration with the Netherlands-based incubator institution, World Startup. The focus of this potential collaboration is to enhance the development of the start-up ecosystem, particularly in agriculture, aquaculture, and manufacturing. Minister of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises, Teten Masduki, during his working visit to World Startup in The Hague, Netherlands, emphasized the richness of Indonesia's natural resources as a potential source for new economic growth, aiming to position Indonesia as an advanced nation. Minister Teten highlighted the government's consistent efforts to promote downstream programs, transforming raw natural resources into value-added products. He explained that the current government policy involves restrictions on the export of Indonesian natural resources, necessitating an increase in production to avoid unemployment, decreased purchasing power, and a sluggish market, especially considering that 73% of job opportunities are provided by small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
To create a new economy within the downstream program, Minister Teten emphasized the need for using technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) in developing domestic flagship commodities is seen as crucial for strengthening the downstream strategy. Minister Teten also stressed that digital economy initiatives for SMEs extend beyond e-commerce and digital literacy training, urging the government to promote digitalization across various aspects. Furthermore, Minister Teten highlighted ongoing entrepreneurship incubation programs in partnership with 20 business incubator institutions nationwide. Looking ahead to 2024, KemenKopUKM aims to explore collaboration with World Startup to optimize processes and outcomes from business incubation programs. The intention is to learn from the Netherlands about promoting innovative SMEs through the roles of business and technology incubators. World Startup's CEO, Gerrit Jan Van 't Veen, conveyed their success in building a sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem over the past decade. He expressed readiness for collaboration and knowledge exchange to contribute to entrepreneurship development in Indonesia. Van 't Veen emphasized the potential for fruitful discussions with the Indonesian government regarding entrepreneurship development and the collaboration aims to accelerate the global transition towards a sustainable and equitable society through entrepreneurship programs.
