Digital literacy training is one of the aspects that micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) will require to focus on in the future, according to the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef).

“If we look at the demand, then the pandemic has disturbed the market, which is why MSMEs require faster access to the market. One of them (ways to achieve this) is by knowing about digital literacy, especially marketing,” Indef executive director Tauhid Ahmad said during an online discussion, observed from here on Thursday.

MSMEs already understand digitalization since they are connected with the internet, but the capability to master digital technology remains low, he opined.

“There are many who have not been able to utilize technological advancement to develop their businesses,” he elaborated.

In addition to digital literacy, MSMEs also require knowledge regarding financing access, which is disseminated by both the government or other financial institutions, Ahmad said.

Around 43.1 percent of MSMEs do not yet have access to capital aid despite the stimulus that the government has rolled out, he pointed out.

To this end, training regarding the requirements, processes, as well as mechanisms for obtaining funding access is also important for MSMEs, he said.

“Thirdly, MSMEs should also be able to innovate their products in order to fulfill the criteria of quality and modify them in accordance with the market demand,” Ahmad explained.

Training for those three aspects is among a number of things that will need to be improved upon moving forward, he emphasized.

During the discussion, Ahmad also highlighted that digitalization has been one of the options that micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) have chosen to survive COVID-19.

Source: Antara News