Jakarta — French mining and metallurgy company Eramet, through its Indonesian arm, has partnered with the non-profit YCAB Foundation to launch a new initiative aimed at strengthening ultra-micro women entrepreneurs in Indonesia, the company said on Wednesday, June 25. The program, called LAKSMI (Langkah Aksi Kapasitas Sosial Mikro untuk Inklusi), is part of Eramet’s global “Women for Future” initiative, which focuses on women’s economic empowerment.
The program was officially launched at SMESCO Jakarta and attended by key officials, including Minister of Cooperatives and SMEs Maman Abdurrahman, Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Arifah Fauzi, North Maluku Governor Sherly Tjoanda Laos, Eramet Indonesia CEO Jérôme Baudelet, and YCAB Secretary General Adelle Odelia Tanuri.
Targeting women entrepreneurs in Jakarta and Ternate, LAKSMI will begin by offering online training in financial literacy and digital marketing to 600 ultra-micro businesswomen. At the program’s conclusion, 75 selected participants will receive business development grants worth approximately USD 500 (IDR 8 million).
“Through this collaboration, we hope this programme can address the complex challenges faced by women MSME owners, such as limited access to mentors, capital, networks, and social expectations,” said Baudelet.
Indonesia is home to approximately 57 million micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), with women owning 64.5% of them. Yet women-led ultra-micro businesses often face significant challenges accessing capital, mentorship, and digital tools, with only 12% of MSMEs fully digitised as of May 2025.
YCAB’s Adelle Odelia Tanuri stated that empowering women economically has a ripple effect across families and communities. “A financially empowered woman strengthens not only her household but also helps break the cycle of poverty,” she said.
Minister Maman Abdurrahman welcomed the initiative, calling it a model for impactful public-private partnerships. “We appreciate how LAKSMI strengthens the role of women-led MSMEs in national development,” he said. (nsh)
Banner photo: Indonesian women winnowing rice in a rice field. Wikimedia Commons.
