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Skills, talent hold keys to Indonesia’s digital future
The latest "e-Conomy Southeast Asia" report from Google, Temasek and Bain & Company, released last month, found that Indonesia continues to be the region’s largest and fastest growing internet economy. The question is, how do we harness that growth not just to benefit the privileged few, but to advance progress for all Indonesians?
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Elementary students experience Google Cardboard, which allow them to virtually visit seven museums in Indonesia. (Google Arts & Culture/-)
F
rom envisioning a new, digitally powered “golden age” to selecting a tech chief executive officer in his Cabinet, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo couldn’t have been any clearer: technology will make or break Indonesia’s progress in the 21st century.
Indonesia has tremendous potential to be a digital power on a global scale, maybe even to rival countries like China, India and Japan.
The latest "e-Conomy Southeast Asia" report from Google, Temasek and Bain & Company, released last month, found that Indonesia continues to be the region’s largest and fastest growing internet economy, valued at US$40 billion in Gross Merchandise Value and on its way to $130 billion by 2025.
The question is, how do we harness that growth not just to benefit the privileged few, but to advance progress for all Indonesians?
Working overseas, I took great pride in the rise of unicorns like Bukalapak, Gojek, Tokopedia and Traveloka. I still do now that I’m back. They’re some of Google’s most important partners and they’ve built services and created jobs that benefit millions of people here and beyond.
But over the 12 months since I came home, I’ve also seen a different side of Indonesia’s digital transformation.
I’ve seen the impact of technology for small business owners like Sherly Santa, a midwife who turned to selling durians, signed up for digital skills training through Google’s Women Will program, and used online tools to find customers, grow sales and employ more staff.
