Jakarta, October 8, 2026 – The Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency (Ekraf) plays a role in efforts to alleviate poverty and strengthen the middle class through job creation and increased public income. This was conveyed during a Ministerial-Level Meeting (RTM) discussing poverty under the Community Empowerment Collaboration Cluster, held at the Coordinating Ministry for Community Empowerment (Kemenko PM) office in Jakarta, Thursday (8/10).
Deputy Minister of Creative Economy/Deputy Head of the Creative Economy Agency (Ekraf), Irene Umar (right), speaks with Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment, Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar (left), before attending a Ministerial-Level Meeting (RTM) on poverty under the Community Empowerment Collaboration Cluster at the Coordinating Ministry for Community Empowerment (Kemenko PM) office, Jakarta, Thursday (8/10/2026).
Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Muhaimin Iskandar said the meeting discussed the implementation of Presidential Instruction (Inpres) No. 8 of 2025 concerning the Optimization of Poverty Alleviation and the Eradication of Extreme Poverty. Muhaimin emphasized the importance of collaboration among ministries and institutions to address poverty while helping middle-class communities experiencing declining levels of welfare to recover.
“Our approach is to continue encouraging members of the middle class whose welfare has declined to move back up, while also helping people living in poverty improve their circumstances, so that both can progress together. To achieve this, we need to collaborate and address these challenges according to our respective duties and authorities, ensuring that the mandate of Presidential Instruction No. 8 of 2025 can be fulfilled,” he said.
In accordance with the Presidential Instruction, the Ministry of Creative Economy is implementing three flagship programs to create business and employment opportunities for the public, particularly young people. These programs are Creative Village Activation, Creative Hub Activation, and Creative by Indonesia.
Photo: Bureau for Communication, Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency.
Deputy Minister of Creative Economy Irene Umar said that creative economy development must take place across the entire value chain, from upstream to downstream. According to her, development should begin in the regions, as many creative assets and sources of potential originate in villages. She added that strengthening the ecosystem also requires spaces where young talent and entrepreneurs can grow. Creative Hubs are established as spaces for learning, experimentation, collaboration, networking, and business development.
“The creative economy grows by building its ecosystem from upstream to downstream. We begin in villages because much of our creative potential and wealth originates in the regions. Through Creative Village Activation, we create businesses, generate income and employment, and open access to markets. We also need to provide spaces where young talent and entrepreneurs can grow. This is where Creative Hubs play a role as places to learn, experiment, collaborate, build networks, and develop businesses,” said the Deputy Minister.
Photo: Bureau for Communication, Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency.
According to Irene, market access is essential to ensure that developed creative potential generates a broader economic impact. Through Creative by Indonesia, the Ministry of Creative Economy opens market access, connects creative economy practitioners with buyers, and promotes business matching and partnerships extending to global markets.
“We are developing these three initiatives together to ensure that creative potential does not remain merely potential: one initiative develops talent, another strengthens businesses, and the third opens pathways to markets,” Irene explained.
The ministerial-level meeting was also attended by Minister of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Maman Abdurahman; Head of Statistics Indonesia (BPS) Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti; and Managing Director of Stakeholders Management at BP Danantara, Rohan Hafas. The Deputy Minister of Creative Economy was accompanied by Deputy for Strategic Development of Creative Economy Mohammed Ali Berawi; Director of Strategic Studies and Management Agus Syarip Hidayat; and Director of Infrastructure Facilitation Fahmy Akmal.
Kiagoos Irvan Faisal
Head of Bureau for Communication
Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency
