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Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said Indonesia will need at least nine million digital talents by 2030 to contribute Rp4.434 trillion to the national economy.

Indonesia’s digital economy currently makes up 40 percent of the ASEAN digital economy with a value of 70 billion US dollars which is estimated to more than double to 146 billion US dollars in 2025, Airlangga said in an official statement released in Jakarta, Sunday.

To that end, the government will continue to develop digital skills to contribute Rp4,434 trillion to the Indonesian economy in 2030, equivalent to 16 percent of the national gross domestic product (GDP)., he said.

“The great potentials for Indonesia’s digital economy and digital talents must be taken advantage of properly to accelerate the development of entrepreneurs,” he said.

On the other hand, the country’s ratio of entrepreneurs to population which currently stands at 3.47 percent is still relatively low, so that it needs to be continuously improved, he said.

The government is providing support for the development of digital talents through pre-employment cards and the national digital literacy movement for the general public, digital talent scholarships for professional workers, and digital leadership academy for managers.

The government also continues to encourage the digitization of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) so as to increase the productivity of MSMEs.

The Communication and Informatics Ministry (Kominfo) will continue the digital talent development program in 2022 to expedite national digital transformation, Minister Johnny G. Plate earlier said.

The program will start by developing basic skills, he informed.

“The primary attempt is introducing digitization to the community. There are 270 million Indonesians; however, only a very few of them understand digitization,” he said at an online event on ‘Digitizing Indonesia: Kominfo’s 2021 Retrospection and 2022 Outlook’ on Tuesday.

Without involving all people in the digital space, the established information and communication technology infrastructure cannot be used optimally, he added.

Hence, the ministry is striving to develop national digital talent through the National Digital Literacy Movement, which was awarded the 2020 World Summit on the Information Society Prize by the International Telecommunication Union.

In 2021, the ministry carried out the program for around 12.5 million people with four basic curricula covering digital skills, digital ethics, digital safety, and digital culture, Plate said.

“For 2021, the program is almost one hundred percent completed. We will continue it in 2022 with the same number of participants,” the minister informed.

He said he expected that by the end of 2024, 50 million Indonesians would have received basic digital training.

“Our micro, small, and medium enterprises cannot survive in the future if we do not prepare them to have basic digital skills,” he said.

Source: Antara News

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) reiterated the significance of climate finance while opening the 144th Assembly Session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and related sessions in Nusa Dua, Bali, Sunday.

In principle, energy transition from fossil energy to new and renewable energy is not as easy as imagined, especially for developing countries, the President noted in his opening address monitored virtually from Jakarta .

“What needs to be discussed and mobilized is climate finance. This must be resolved immediately,” he remarked..

For the umpteenth time at global forums, President Jokowi highlighted the issue of climate finance pledged by developed nations to developing countries to deal with climate change.

During the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, November 2021, the President urged developed nations to meet the pledge.

In 2009, wealthy nations pledged to mobilise $100 billion in climate finance annually by 2020 to help vulnerable nations deal with climate change.

In addition to climate finance, the President also highlighted investment in renewable energy and transfer of technology that must be immediately realized to adapt to climate change.

With regard to new and renewable energy, the President offered a series of green energy potentials in Indonesia, such as hydropower and geothermal energy which can potentially generate 29,000 megawatts of electrical power.

“There is a lot of wind. There is a lot of undersea current. Solar energy is very abundant. However, (to take advantage of the energy), we need huge investment, transfer of technology, climate funding that must be seriously supported by the international community,” the President emphasized.

To that end, the President appealed to the IPU assembly session and related sessions held in Bali from March 20 to 24 to come up with real and concrete actions from the parliaments and governments of member countries.

Indonesia will require Rp3.460 trillion, or around Rp266 trillion per year, in funding till 2030 to reduce carbon emissions, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati earlier estimated.

At a Science 20 (S20) webinar on ‘High-Level Policy on Fair Energy Transition’ on Thursday, the minister said that the energy transition issue or climate change agenda has become the highest priority for Indonesia.

To demonstrate its commitment to emissions reduction, Indonesia ratified the Paris Agreement, which contains the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) commitment, in 2016.

According to the NDC document, Indonesia is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 29 percent through its own efforts and 41 percent with the help of international support by 2030.

However, fiscal policies can only cover 34 percent of the total Rp3.460 trillion funding requirement, Indrawati said.

Source: Antara News

The Agricultural Human Resources Extension and Development Agency at the Agriculture Ministry has called for the development of brown sugar production to reduce dependence on granulated sugar.

“I compel all my brothers and sisters now to diversify white sugar into palm sugar. We can produce as much brown sugar as possible,” the agency’s head, Dedi Nursyamsi, said in a statement received here on Saturday.

He underlined the extraordinary potential for domestic sugar development in Indonesia, indicated by the fact that Indonesia was the largest sugar exporter during the colonial era.

“We are an archipelagic country. We are a country with the longest coastline in the world because the islands are more than 17 thousand. This means that coconut grows everywhere and it is our source of sugar,” Nursyamsi said.

Not only that, Indonesia also has varieties of palm plants that can grow on their own without being planted in the highlands. Palm sugar could be sourced from these plants, too.

On a separate occasion, Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo proposed the development of coconut sugar and palm sugar production.

“Actually, don’t rely too much on cane sugar. Make it an opportunity to develop coconut sugar. Our coconut trees are (everywhere),” he said.

Director of seasonal crops and spices, Ardi Praptono, said that the balance of sugar consumption experienced a deficit of approximately 600 thousand tons. Only 2.2 million of the 2.8 million tons of sugar needed were produced in the country.

He informed that programs have been conducted to accelerate the achievement of self-sufficiency in sugar by 2023, including by extending the area under sugar cultivation by 50 thousand hectares, which is expected to increase consumption of sugar by 359 thousand tons of harvested dry grain (GKP).

Additionally, his administration will intensify the loading and unloading of 75 hectares of ratoons, and it is expected that in three years, it would produce 178 thousand tons of GKP. By taking care of 125 thousand hectares of ratoons, it would also produce a total of 178 thousand tons of GKP.

“So, the total results from the extensification and intensification are 676 thousand tons of obtained GKP. This is the target we want to achieve in the 2020–2023 period,” he said.

Ambassador of Banten Millennial Farmers, Sarnata, said that Indonesia, particularly Banten, has abundant natural resources, including sugar palm.

“In addition, it turns out that the number of sugar palm farmers in Banten is 13 thousand. This means that the involvement of sugar palm farmers in rural areas is quite (extensive),” he noted.

However, not many sugar palm farmers had adopted innovations, resulting in an imbalance between high productivity and farmers’ incomes, he added.

He said that product diversification was done to address the issue.

According to Sarnata, by pushing for innovations, the shelf life of palm sugar can be made longer than usual, providing added value, and thereby, higher profits.

Product packaging would solve shelf-life issues, as it would allow for products to last up to a year. It would also lead to better distribution to other areas, he said.

On top of that, standardization and certification, such as health permits, halal permits, and laboratory tests, are important, he said. Those would function as a way to convince prospective buyers.

Source: Antara News

The Religious Affairs Ministry’s Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH) has opened applications for its free halal certification (Sehati) program for 25 thousand micro and small business (MSEs) actors.

“We will implement the Sehati Program from March to December 2022. MSEs who register for the program will be prioritized,” head of the agency, Muhammad Aqil Irham, said in a statement received here on Saturday.

The program, which was launched in 2021, is a collaboration between the Religious Affairs Ministry and a number of ministries, institutions, private agencies, digital platforms, banking, and regional governments, he informed.

Only 25 thousand MSEs, which fulfill the requirements, will be facilitated to make “self-declared” halal certification of their products, as stipulated in BPJPH regulations.

Furthermore, the BPJPH head told MSEs players who do not get selected not to worry since they can still avail free financing facilitation from other ministries, local government offices, banks, as well as private institutions.

He said that currently, the financing for halal certification from other ministries/agencies is still being consolidated with various parties, for instance, the Finance Ministry, the Cooperatives and SMEs Ministry, the Presidential Staff Office (KSP), business associations, as well as banks.

“In 2021, there were 112 institutions or facilitators who provided assistance for halal certification financing for MSEs. The total budget for the assistance reached Rp16.5 billion, which benefited 7,160 MSEs,” he informed.

BPJPH has also approached various other parties to obtain support for financing for MSEs halal certification.

The agency is targeting to get 10 million products certified as halal by 2022.

“Currently, we are visiting a number of provinces for establishing partnerships and conducting hearings with governors, district heads, and mayors to get concrete support from local governments regarding facilitation and financing of halal product certificates for MSEs,” Irham informed.

Source: Antara News

Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno has invited 30 people comprising automotive enthusiasts, tourism village activists, and mediapersons to a motorbike tour to experience thematic tourism in Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB).

The region, which is hosting the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia from March 18–20, 2022, has great potential for thematic tourism, the minister said.

It is hoped that a tour around Mandalika tourism area, Central Lombok District, NTB Province, entitled “Famtrip Inspiring Village” will become more popular, he added.

“The program is part of thematic tourism. The implementation of motorbikes touring to tourist villages will help our economic revival as we can see many homestays are occupied by the visitors, and it will be a new tourism spirit,” Uno said in an official statement released on Saturday.

One of the tour destinations is Tetebatu Tourism Village in East Lombok District, NTB Province, which represented Indonesia at the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Best Village 2021.

The minister said that the village has unique natural and historical attractions for tourists.

In addition, Tetebatu Village, which is located at the foot of Mount Rinjani, also has various creative economic products and is known for its herbal plants.

“It is hoped that Mandalika area will not be the only region in NTB Province, which is developed, but also other alternative destinations, which can potentially be visited by the spectators of Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia. Hence, they will come to not only watch the racing event, but also to enjoy local tourism villages,” Uno remarked.

In addition to East Lombok District, Central Lombok District has thematic tourism potential, where tourism villages with unique attractions for tourists can be developed, he said.

The development of thematic tourism villages in Lombok Island is expected to drive regional economic revival and job creation.

“It will be a new economic order in which tourism villages become the locomotive of a sustainable tourism revival,” the minister remarked.

Source: Antara News

The B20 Energy, Sustainability & Climate Task Force, led by state-owned oil giant PT Pertamina (Persero), has provided policy recommendations and actions for sustainable energy transition.

The statement was delivered by Chair of B20 Energy, Sustainability, and Climate Task Force Nicke Widyawati during the 3rd stakeholder consultation task force energy, sustainability and climate sustainable finance held virtually on Friday (18/3).

The Business 20, or B20, is an outreach group from the G20 that represents the international business community.

“So as part of engaging group in the G20, the B20 Energy, Sustainability & Climate Task Force will provide policy recommendations and actions for sustainable energy transition with three focus on part of priority issue that trigger to the outline of President Joko Widodo’s directive,” Widyawati, concurrently the president director and CEO of PT Pertamina, stated.

In accordance with the directive President Joko Widodo had delivered at the G20 Summit last year, the G20 must become the curtains for bringing recovery and going hand in hand with the principles of energy security, energy equity, and environmental sustainability, she said.

To this end, there were three focus areas, she said. First, accelerating the transition to sustainable energy use by enhancing global cooperation to accelerate the transition to sustainable energy use by reducing carbon intensity of energy use.

“Second, ensuring a just, orderly and affordable transition by enhancing global cooperation to assure sustainable energy use across developed and developing countries,” Widyawati said.

Third, enhancing global cooperation on increasing consumer level energy security by improving access to energy and ability to consume clean and modern energy.

The task force is aware of the importance of ratification of renewable energy based generation and energy efficiency as the main pillars of the energy transition and investment in technology and energy sector, she said.

The B20 Energy, Sustainability & Climate Task Force becomes a very valuable source for a range of perspectives, she said.

She stated that rising greenhouse concentration in the atmosphere is causing global warming leading to climate change, ocean acidification and biodiversity losses.

“The largest contribution to greenhouse gas emission comes from the energy sector which makes the transition to sustainable energy use becomes the most critical challenges of our time,” Widyawati said.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates and indicates that the global average temperature last approximately 1.1 degrees Celcius above the industrial level. The consensus limit to avoid catastrophe climate change is being limited to a maximum of 1.5 degrees Celcius, she said.

“So there is a limitation period that we have to take drastic action to accelerate net-zero emission and to curb greenhouse gas emission,” she said, adding that the carbon emission contribution from energy is in the range of 20 percent up to 36 percent compared to the deforestation which is in the range of 44 percent up to 62 percent, she said.

However, Widyawati emphasized, this cannot be an excuse for industry players especially in energy sector to not take part in reducing greenhouse gas emission.

She said that global cooperation for government capacity enhancement institutionally formed market development, sharing of technology, and financing.

“In our policy recommendations, several parties involved in the energy, sustainable and climate task force G20 include co-chair from g20 business actors as well as more than 140 members that provide inputs in the directions of the policy recommendations and issue priority. The most important thing is aligned with stakeholders so the proposed policy recommendations and actions from our task force will be aligned with the directions of Indonesia’s policy in G20,” Widyawati said.

She said that the stakeholder consultation event aims to obtain inputs from the stakeholders especially regarding sustainable finance.

The policy recommendations represented the views of business actors and finance sector institutions, she stated.

Meanwhile, B20 Indonesia Sherpa Rizal Affandi Lukman said that the continuous task force discussion was definitely important to collect relevant information, ideas and insights from a wide range of relevant stakeholders.

“We all have priority topics to be the basis of our works . However, without inputs from people who know exactly the trends of potential challenges on the ground as well as from different angels and perspectives, the recommendations will be just nice to read on the paper,” Lukman said.

The issues on energy, sustainability and climate are very relevant to many parties this day, he remarked.

B20 Indonesia is keen to hear the stakeholders’ concerns, feedbacks on numerous issues such as decarbonization, climate investment and financing carbon market ecosystem, and how sustainability project are reported and accounted, Lukman said.

This is a good example of inclusive and collaborative policy formulations, he added.

Source: Antara News