The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) continues to encourage the capacity building of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) so that they can upgrade to the global market. On the sidelines of the ASEAN Business & Investment Summit 2023 (ABIS) 2023, Kadin Indonesia held an exclusive meeting with the Japan External Trade Organizations (JETRO) to open opportunities for selected MSMEs from the ASEAN region that have undergone capacity-building programmes to meet directly with potential Japanese buyers and distributors.

On 8-11 August 2023, Kadin Indonesia in collaboration with JETRO, PT HM Sampoerna Tbk, through the Sampoerna Entrepreneurship Training Center (SETC) MSME empowerment programme, successfully conducted business matching in Tokyo to encourage Indonesian MSMEs to penetrate the Japanese export market. The business matching that was conducted in August has successfully brought Indonesian MSMEs to penetrate the Japanese export market with a total export value of up to Rp 10 billion. The MSMEs are Pipiltin Cocoa, Alko Sumatra Coffee, Sukkha Citta, Shiroshima, House of Tea, Balista Coffee Liqueur, Sambal Pecah, Jamune, and Ohana Mie.

WikiExport.JP is an initiative programme developed by Kadin Indonesia since the implementation of B20 last October 2022 in conjunction with the Inclusive Partnership Movement. This initiative is an effort to foster and increase the capacity of Indonesian MSMEs to open global market access. Prior to business matching, selected MSMEs have gone through an assessment and training process starting from matching available market demand and supply, ensuring MSMEs can comply with existing regulations and certifications, as well as providing appropriate training before business matching is carried out.

"WikiExport Japan is a concrete follow-up to the B20 legacy programme that aims to bridge Indonesian MSMEs with Japanese businesses and buyers who need supplies of Indonesian products. Last August, as a continuation of the B20 legacy, Kadin Indonesia and JETRO have realised a business meeting for Indonesian MSMEs in Tokyo to open their market access to Japan," said Aldi Haryopratomo, Deputy Chairman of Entrepreneurship at Kadin Indonesia.

The business matching programme conducted by Kadin Indonesia and JETRO is clear evidence of the success of capacity building and market access for MSMEs to penetrate the global market. For this reason, in an exclusive meeting with JETRO on the sidelines of the ASEAN Business & Investment Summit 2023 (ABIS) 2023, Kadin Indonesia saw a greater opportunity for a similar business matching programme with Japanese businesses to be replicated for MSME players in the ASEAN region.

"The success of the Indonesian MSME business meeting that was held in Tokyo on 8-11 August is clear evidence of the success of the appropriate capacity building programme for MSMEs to upgrade to penetrate the Japanese export market. After the success for Indonesian MSMEs, similar programmes will also be replicated for other MSME players in ASEAN," Aldi added.

The WikiExport.JP business meeting initiative that will be replicated for ASEAN MSME players is also welcomed by JETRO in order to support local business transformation efforts to increase their capacity and competitiveness. Through a proper curation process and online training programmes to be developed in the region by WikiExport.JP, MSME players who have the best potential and production quality will be able to have access to the Japanese market.

"As ASEAN continues to grow as a global economic hub, we will continue to support collaboration and cooperation between ASEAN MSMEs and Japanese companies. One of our main tasks is to promote trade and investment. I am very pleased that the WikiExport.JP programme initiated by Kadin Indonesia and JETRO Jakarta has yielded tangible results so quickly. Seeing the success of this project, we are confident that similar programmes can be replicated and have the potential to succeed MSMEs in ASEAN." said Ishiguro Norihiko, Chairman and CEO of Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO).