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ID
ACTNews, JAKARTA – The Covid-19
pandemic has posed hardships for many MSMEs in Indonesia. Asosiasi UMKM
Indonesia (Indonesian MSME Association/Akumindo) revealed that as many as 30 million MSMEs went out of business during the Covid-19 pandemic. With only 34
million MSMEs remaining compared to 2019 when there were 64 million MSMEs in
Indonesia, the global outbreak has cut the number of MSMEs in Indonesia by
almost 50%, leaving 7 million people unemployed.
Various parties have been working to reduce the severe impact of the
pandemic on MSMEs considering that MSMEs are the backbone of the Indonesian economy.
"This is a challenge as well as an opportunity for us to develop
ways to keep micro-enterprises afloat," said Productive Capital Waqf
Manager Budi Sulistyo in the Wakaf Talk session on Friday (8/6/2021).
Having been running for one year, the Waqf for Indonesian Micro
Business Capital has delivered waqf-funded capital to more than 3,900
micro-businesses across 25 provinces with the help of 25 ACT branch offices.
"Insha Allah, in 2021, we aim to deliver waqf-based capital to 15 thousand
micro-businesses," said Budi.
Budi added that the impact of the current pandemic was more severe on
MSMEs compared to the crisis in 1998 as seen in many cities in Indonesia where
business owners fly white flags as a form of surrender. Budi hoped that the
philanthropists can have stronger solidarity for these business owners.
"We hope that the waqf donors will start to form solidarity in
promoting these micro-enterprises to become the pillars of the Indonesian
economy. Insha Allah, when the pious manage wealth, what will appear is a blessing, and gradually the practice of usury will be destroyed," he
added. []
