Jakarta (ANTARA) - Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan and the CEO of YouTube, Neal Mohan, discussed the development of the digital economy and trade in Indonesia during a meeting in San Francisco, the United States, on Wednesday (November 15, 2023).
During the meeting, Minister Hasan told Mohan that the Trade Ministry has been striving to accelerate the digital transformation in an inclusive and sustainable manner to support the growth of domestic micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
"By synergizing with the Indonesian government, YouTube could help MSME players to create innovation through coaching and capacity-building activities," he said in a written statement released in Jakarta on Friday.
According to Hasan, digital content in the form of videos has helped many Indonesian MSMEs promote their products in marketplaces.
The minister also used the meeting to extend his appreciation to YouTube Indonesia and Google for their grant of Rp2 billion (US$129.3 thousand) for accelerating the digitization of MSMEs in collaboration with the Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry.
YouTube Indonesia has been working with the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry to carry out a program called #NgeShortsBareng, which aims to support Indonesian digital content creators.
"We see opportunities to further expand cooperation with YouTube. We can cooperate in providing training programs for MSMEs to digitally market their products by utilizing features offered on YouTube, such as YouTube shorts," he said.
He expressed the belief that such cooperation would help Indonesian MSMEs expand their market reach and create more appealing digital content on YouTube, considering that more people have started searching for information on the digital platform.
The minister opined that YouTube could encourage content creators to review the products of local MSMEs.
Meanwhile, CEO Mohan said that YouTube is ready to support the Indonesian government in helping MSMEs promote their brands and connect with content creators within the digital trade ecosystem.
He further said that he will coordinate with YouTube's representatives in Indonesia to follow up on the meeting.
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