Jakarta, 9 January 2026 – The Minister of Creative Economy / Head of the Creative Economy Agency, Teuku Riefky Harsya, discussed the development of creative economy potential in Bima City, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB). This step reflects the Government’s commitment to positioning the creative economy as the new engine of growth, starting from the regions.
The Minister of Creative Economy, Teuku Riefky Harsya, received an audience with the Mayor of Bima, H. A. Rahman, at the Office of the Ministry of Creative Economy, Jakarta, Friday (9/1/2026).
“Since 2016, there have been 81 cities and regencies that have conducted self-verification. Going forward, the Ministry of Creative Economy will designate creative cities through a ministerial regulation after verification of leading subsectors. These subsectors will serve as the locomotive driving other subsectors in the respective regions,” said Minister of Creative Economy Teuku Riefky Harsya during the audience with the Mayor of Bima in Jakarta, Friday, 9 January 2026.
The Minister stated that the Government is currently strengthening mechanisms for designating creative cities based on verified leading subsectors. Mayor of Bima H. A. Rahman conveyed that the creative economy in his region grows from cultural strengths, community creativity, and local wisdom. At present, there are approximately 1,500 ikat weaving business units, which form the core identity of the region, alongside the development of performing arts, music, culinary, fashion, product design, photography, and digital content subsectors.
Doc. Bureau for Communication, Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency
“Content creators present a new opportunity for young people to generate income while digitally promoting Bima City. Currently, it is estimated that there are between 500 and 1,500 local and regional-scale content creators who act as digital storytelling agents to expand regional promotional reach,” said the Mayor of Bima.
With a population of approximately 165,000 people and high social media usage, Bima City is considered to have significant potential for developing a digital content-based creative economy, local brands, and culture-based creative products that can penetrate broader markets.
Doc. Bureau for Communication, Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency
Minister of Creative Economy Teuku Riefky Harsya welcomed the mapping of leading subsectors presented by the Bima City Government and emphasized the importance of strengthening the ecosystem, including capacity building for practitioners, intellectual property protection, access to financing, and market expansion. This approach is expected to accelerate the transformation of the regional creative economy.
The audience was also attended by officials of the Bima City Government, including the Head of the Tourism Office Sukarno, Head of Bappeda Syarif Rustaman, Head of BPKAD Siswandi, Head of the Public Works and Spatial Planning Office Didi Fahdiansyah, Head of the Education, Youth, and Sports Office Mahfud, and the Secretary of the Housing and Settlement Areas Office Pujawan.
Doc. Bureau for Communication, Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency
Meanwhile, Minister of Creative Economy Teuku Riefky Harsya was accompanied by the Deputy for Strategic Development of the Creative Economy Cecep Rukendi, Special Staff to the Minister Rian Syaf, Director of Marketing System Development and Institutional Relations Radi Manggala, Director of Information and Communication Technology Services Abdul Malik, Director of Digital Content Yuana Rochma Astuti, Director of Intellectual Property Facilitation Muhammad Fauzy, and Director of Music Mohammad Amin.
Kiagoos Irvan Faisal
Acting Head of the Bureau for Communication
Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency
