MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, YOGYAKARTA — ‘Aisyiyah partnered with the Indonesian Ministry of Cooperatives and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) to empower women in the field of entrepreneurship.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was officially signed on Tuesday, September 10 at Universitas Ahmad Dahlan, Yogyakarta. The MoU aims to strengthen collaboration between the two parties in supporting the growth of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) owned by women.
President of ‘Aisyiyah Salmah Orbayinah emphasized the importance of this partnership in developing the growing SME sector in Indonesia.
“We have seen significant growth in the SME sector, largely due to the important role of the government in strengthening SMEs. This MoU is crucial as both the government and ‘Aisyiyah share the same roles,” said Salmah.
The MoU covers two main areas, namely the development and empowerment of women’s cooperatives and SMEs, and the synergy of resources and competencies to support women’s empowerment in entrepreneurship.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Minister of Cooperatives and SMEs Teten Masduki welcomed the collaboration and expressed the ministry’s readiness to support the technical implementation of the MoU.
“The technical details of the MoU will be further discussed in a meeting in Jakarta,” said Teten Masduki.
For information, the MoU signing was was attended by several key figures, including the Chairperson of Muhammadiyah Busyro Muqoddas, the Rector of Universitas Ahmad Dahlan as well as the Chairperson of Muhammadiyah Council for Publication and Information Muchlas, the Chairperson of ‘Aisyiyah Council for Economy and Employment Utik Bidayati, and the Rector of Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta Gunawan Budiyanto.
Besides signing the MoU, ‘Aisyiyah also conducted a national seminar on “Strategies for Enhancing the Competitiveness of ‘Aisyiyah Cooperatives and SMEs in Confronting Global Economic Challenges.” Several experts, including the Assistant Deputy for Entrepreneurship at the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs A.H. Novieta and Amirullah Setya Hardi shared their ideas on how these businesses can succeed internationally.
