Antara News·Indonesia·Sunday, September 20, 2026 at 04:26 PM

Indonesia trains 80 flood-hit creative entrepreneurs in West Sumatra

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Fitra Ashari, Uyu Liman

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Ministry of Creative Economy has trained 80 creative business players affected by last year's devastating flash floods in Padang Pariaman District, West Sumatra, to help restore their productivity and expand their market reach.

The capacity-building initiative was held at the Padang Pariaman District Head's Office from Friday to Saturday (September 18-19). The training targeted entrepreneurs from various sectors, including culinary arts, photography, content creation, crafts, and performing arts.

Head of the ministry's Legal Bureau Moch Nurul Huda emphasized in a statement released here on Sunday that supporting creative workers must go beyond rebuilding physical infrastructure and be accompanied by programs that actively revive the community's post-disaster economy.

"Physical facilities alone will not be optimal without (appropriate) programs to bring them to life. This (business) activation (program) is crucial to ensure creative spaces deliver a tangible impact on regional progress," Huda said.

To ensure that the skills taught could be directly applied to business operations, the ministry collaborated with regional governments and university academics to design the curriculum.

The sessions included creative economy capacity building led by visual design practitioner Laura Amelia Triani, business management by Vice Rector of Andalas University Prof. Henmaidi, and strategies to unlock the creative potential of nagari (traditional villages) by Prof. Ratni Prima Lita.

Participants were also trained to streamline market research and use artificial intelligence (AI) to support product development.

Padang Pariaman District Head John Kenedy Azis noted that improving human resource capacity is vital to accelerating the region's economic recovery.

"We must continuously develop our existing potential so that it grows into a creative economic force that provides real added value to the people," Azis said.

He added that the initiative also highlights the importance of cross-sector collaboration among the central government, regional governments, universities, and communities in local reconstruction efforts.

The training was warmly received by participants, who gained practical tools to improve their businesses. Evi, a local entrepreneur, highlighted the AI training as a particularly beneficial component of the program.

"This program highly motivates me to improve production quality and reach a broader market. We also learn to use AI, which makes designing new product ideas much easier," she explained.

Head of the district's Tourism, Youth, and Sports Office Anton Wira Tanjung expressed hope that the creative space would serve as a sustainable platform for the community to continuously stimulate the local economy long after the capacity-building program concludes.

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