An announcement by
the Ministry of
Communications and Informatics (KOMINFO) highlighted
the assistance provided by ICT volunteers in helping MSMEs get online access to
increase their market audience.
In Indonesia, the
period with the highest purchase transaction and considered to be the peak
period of consumption within the year, is Ramadan, or the fasting month.
KOMINFO would like
to optimise this period by helping the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
(MSMEs) get online market access. To give them the opportunity to sell online,
the KOMINFO tapped on the ICT volunteers to help.
Together with the
Ministry of Cooperatives and SME as well as six marketplaces in Indonesia, the KOMINFO
hosted an event called, “Ramadan Express Ayo UMKM Online Sales!”
"The Ramadan
Express supported the micro and small traders who have not been given access to
the online market," Special Staff Minister of Communications and
Informatics Affairs PMO and Digital Economy Lis Sutjiati said.
According to Ms Lis
Sutjiati, Indonesia has many MSMEs that became pillars of the national economy.
"Up to now, we have 59 million MSMEs. 99% of which are
micro. UMKM is the backbone of Indonesian economy. So far they
contribute 58% to 60% of the GDP in Indonesia,” she explained.
MSMEs needed to be
facilitated so that they can sell online. "Most of the micro
enterprises cannot help themselves because they are confused with how to go
digital. We pick up the ball and show them that opening an online store is
easy, fast and free. This movement can be called as the Ramadan for the
Micro level,” she furthered.
Ms Lis Sutjiati added
that efforts to help MSMEs go online is mandatory and not an option because
shopping are mostly done through online transactions and if they are not
assisted into going online, they will lose possible customers.
Director of
Information Industry Empowerment Directorate General of Informatics
Applications Ministry of Communications and Informatics Septriana Tangkary
stated, "We have great ICT volunteers and friends from SMK. This
vocational school has an entrepreneurship department which taught them how to work
together and reach a solution in order to produce something,” she said.
Ms Septriana Tangkary
added that with the assistance they are getting, the process of going online
will be faster. "They are helping MSMEs that have good products but
do not have the knowledge to go online. The guidance of both the ICT
Volunteers and SMK greatly accelerated the existing process of doing so,” she
explained.
It is expected that
Ramadan Express activities will be able to increase the number of MSMEs that can
go online. There are more than 8 million registered MSMEs coming from
different marketplaces, with 4.6 million being assisted now. It is targeted
that all 8 million will be online by the year 2020.