Along with other important economic factors, youth and female entrepreneurship play a crucial role in driving Indonesia’s economic growth, as they form the backbone of future employment.

Unfortunately, the recent United Nations World Youth Report highlights that the global NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) rate among young people remains concerning, signaling that the traditional “business-as-usual” approach to entrepreneurship and employment is still insufficient for the level of job creation that many had hoped for.

The introduction of new technologies may offer promising solutions. In this context, the newly rebranded Communications and Digital Ministry, along with other ministries, under President Prabowo’s administration can play a key role in promoting digital youth and female entrepreneurship.

For example, social media has enabled companies like Amartha.com in Indonesia to provide a peer-to-peer lending platform, helping rural women secure funding to launch and grow their local businesses. Platform technologies have enhanced youth and female entrepreneurs’ access to funding, and promoting similar initiatives may help remove barriers they face in starting and expanding their ventures.

Yet technology also poses challenges for youth and female entrepreneurship.

One of the primary challenges lies in the transition from traditional to digital entrepreneurship. While this shift presents significant opportunities, particularly for women and young people, it also introduces new difficulties.