Indonesian population opens up broader digital business opportunities

Indonesias 250 million population opens up broader digital technology-based business opportunities, Shinta Dhanuwardoyo, a digital technology entrepreneur, stated here on Thursday on the sidelines of the 12th World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF). (Antaranews )

“In addition, almost half of Indonesias population is under 30 years of age, so business opportunities in the field of digital technology are getting bigger,” she said.However, Dhanuwardoyo pointed out that the development of digital technology in Indonesia was facing three major constraints.

The obstacles are the lack of infrastructure to support development and use of digital technology, the governments policy on digital businesses being not yet available, and the lack of human resources in such a field. “If we can overcome these constraints, I believe Indonesia can become a major player in digital-based businesses at the regional and even international levels,” the founder of the first internet company in Indonesia affirmed.

She believes that synergy between the government and entrepreneurs is the right step to accelerate the development of digital businesses, one of which is the program named “1000 digital startup,” which is being implemented by the Coordinating Ministry for Economy and the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology. The program is expected to help in creating one thousand startup companies in the country, with an investment of US$10 billion by 2020.

Dhanuwardoyo has been named among the 99 most powerful women in Indonesias technology industry by Globe Asia. Dhanuwardoyo has also set up Svata, which is a nonprofit organization that bridges the knowledge gap between the Silicon Valley and Indonesias technology ecosystem.