Riau Islands MSMEs (UMKM) Move Up the Value Chain: Senator Dwi Ajeng Sekar Respaty Partners with the ASEAN Foundation to Accelerate AI Adoption for Digital Economic Transformation

07 May 2026 oleh admin

Batam, dpd.go.id — In an effort to accelerate digital transformation and strengthen regional economic resilience, Dwi Ajeng Sekar Respaty, Member of the DPD RI/MPR RI representing the Riau Islands Province electoral district, initiated the program “Enhancing MSME Competitiveness Through the Adoption of AI Technology.” In collaboration with the ASEAN Foundation and Kumpul IMPACT as co-initiators, the strategic initiative was held on May 7–8, 2026, at the campus of Universitas Riau Kepulauan (UNRIKA), Batam City.

The initiative was specifically designed for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across the Riau Islands region to strengthen the adoption of applied artificial intelligence technologies. Given the vital role of MSMEs as key economic drivers, the training aims to bridge the digital literacy gap and enable grassroots business actors to adapt and compete within an increasingly dynamic market landscape.

As a national representative of the Riau Islands community, Senator Dwi Ajeng Sekar Respaty emphasized that technological mastery is no longer optional, but an essential prerequisite for advancing the regional economic structure.

“In today’s integrated economic ecosystem, data-driven capabilities and automation have become key prerequisites for MSMEs to move up the value chain. Through this strategic AI training intervention, we seek to transform local MSMEs into high-performing business entities capable of integrating into national and Southeast Asian value chains,” she stated.

The training forms an integral part of the AIM ASEAN (AI for MSME Advancement in ASEAN) program, a two-year regional impact initiative organized by the ASEAN Foundation in collaboration with the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN). The program is funded through the AI Opportunity Fund: Asia Pacific, with full support from Google.org and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Institutionally, the initiative has also received official support from the ASEAN Coordinating Committee on Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (ACCMSME) to accelerate digital transformation and artificial intelligence adoption throughout Southeast Asia.

The implementation of the program in the Riau Islands reflects strong cross-sector collaboration. The Riau Islands Office of Cooperatives and MSMEs (DKUKM), under the leadership of Riki Rionaldi, S.STP., M.Si., together with the Batam City UPTD PLUT KUMKM and academics from the Faculty of Economics and Business at Universitas Riau Kepulauan, have served as key supporting partners. This collaboration ensures that the technical materials delivered remain aligned with the socio-economic characteristics and local wisdom of the Riau Islands community.

Throughout the two-day training program, the primary focus centered on strengthening participants’ foundational literacy in applied artificial intelligence. Participants were equipped with essential skills to utilize AI as an everyday digital assistant, a fundamental step designed to reduce operational barriers and accelerate MSME adaptation in the digital economy era. Through this practical and measured approach, technological concepts are expected to be transformed into actionable solutions capable of delivering immediate impact for local entrepreneurs across various business scales.

Through this initiative, Batam City is expected not only to reinforce its role as one of the key economic growth engines in the Riau Islands but also to emerge as a benchmark for AI adoption among MSMEs at both the national and ASEAN levels.

This strategic initiative comes at a highly opportune moment. According to data released by Indonesia’s Central Statistics Agency (BPS) in May 2026, the economy of the Riau Islands Province recorded an impressive growth rate of 7.04 percent in the first quarter of 2026, the highest growth rate in the Sumatra region. This achievement has been strongly supported by the resilience of the local entrepreneurial ecosystem. Data from the Riau Islands Office of Cooperatives and SMEs indicates that, as of 2025, more than 146.000 MSMEs were operating across all regencies and municipalities in the province, with approximately 94.600 businesses already integrated into the national Single Data Information System.

This substantial economic potential highlights the growing urgency of technological intervention. The adoption of artificial intelligence is therefore considered essential to ensure that regional MSME growth is not merely sustained but accelerated exponentially in a more competitive and future-ready direction.