Secretary General of the Indonesian Association of Islamic Economists (IAEI), Astera Primanto Bhakti, gave a keynote speech at the International Economic and Business Conference organised by the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) of Universitas Muhammadiyah (Unismuh) Makassar with the theme "Developing Economy and Business Through Digital and Innovation" on Tuesday, (07/03) in a hybrid manner at the Unismuh Campus in Makassar, South Sulawesi.
On this occasion, the Secretary General of IAEI reviewed the evolution of the economy and digitalisation trends, as well as how to take advantage of them for the advancement of the Indonesian economy. Digital transformation has moved forward very quickly and has changed the paradigm of the global economy and society, with networks and platforms at its centre. COVID-19 is also accelerating digital transformation, making the future come faster than imagined.
"One of the opportunities that can be utilised from the digital economy is to help accelerate Indonesian businesses through the empowerment of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)." said the IAEI Secretary General.
Indonesia has nearly 64 million MSMEs in the economy. These account for 97% of the country's labour force and contribute more than 60 per cent of GDP. However, its contribution to total exports is relatively small, at only 14 per cent. Digitalisation can offer a viable solution for MSMEs to accelerate its market share, especially to access global markets. Digital empowerment for MSMEs means supporting Indonesia's vision of becoming a global halal industry hub by 2024.
While it has many benefits for businesses and the economy, digitalisation also has challenges that need to be addressed, ranging from lack of digital literacy, inequality of digital access, cybersecurity, human resources, internet access, and regulations that we must solve together gradually.
Also attending the event were Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, Rector of Unismuh Makassar, Prof H Ambo Asse who opened the event as well as other speakers and the academic community of Unismuh Makassar.
