PORTALJABAR, BANDUNG CITY - The Bandung City Government is strengthening the capacity of women-owned MSMEs through business mentoring, access to financing, and risk management education.

This effort was carried out together with PT Permodalan Nasional Madani (PNM) and the West Java Financial Services Authority (OJK) through the 2026 PKU Akbar (13/8/2026).

The activity, themed "Excellent, Innovative, Transforming, and Inspiring MSMEs," was attended by around 250 PNM customers at the Graha Binangkit Building.

Bandung Mayor Muhammad Farhan said that community economic empowerment needs to be carried out in a structured manner involving various parties.

"We are indeed supporting a program that is a collaboration between the Cooperatives and SMEs Office and PNM, a state-owned enterprise that provides business capital for micro-enterprises, and is also, of course, mentored by the West Java Financial Services Authority (OJK). This demonstrates that economic empowerment must be carried out in a structured manner," said Farhan.

According to Farhan, MSMEs do not only need to obtain capital, but also need the ability to manage credit, risks, and business prospects.

The group model with a joint responsibility system implemented by PNM is considered to help economic empowerment, especially for female entrepreneurs.

"This includes risk management and business prospects. By using a joint responsibility group model, God willing, this empowerment will be crucial, especially for the empowerment of MSMEs managed by women entrepreneurs," she said.

Farhan hopes that increasing the capacity of women entrepreneurs can have a ripple effect on the welfare of families and the people of Bandung City.

The Bandung City Government is building a business ecosystem through financing institutions because the government does not act as a direct capital lender to MSMEs.

"The government's primary task now is to support and build a business ecosystem for small, medium, and micro enterprises," he said.

The Bandung City Government is involving PNM, Pegadaian, and Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI), which are under the supervision of the OJK, to expand access to financing for MSMEs.

"One example is PNM, a state-owned enterprise (BUMN), which has the specific capability and mandate to provide capital loans at low interest rates. We're taking advantage of this," Farhan said.

Farhan urged MSMEs to continue improving their capital, credit, and risk management skills to ensure sustainable business growth.

"Never stop innovating and never stop learning to grow your business. Learn how to manage credit, learn how to manage capital, and learn how to manage risk. God willing, you will succeed," said Farhan.

PNM Bandung Branch Leader Danang Setya Budi said the 2026 PKU Akbar was a platform for learning, networking, and access to business development information for customers.

PNM currently has around 115,493 customers in Bandung City with outstanding financing of nearly IDR 500 billion.

PNM's total financing disbursement in Bandung City has reached around IDR 3.8 trillion with the support of around 2,500 account officers (AO).

Danang said the majority of Mekaar's customers are women who run businesses to help improve their family's economy.

According to him, changes in the business world require MSMEs to continue learning, innovating, and transforming to be able to survive and develop their businesses.

“Don’t be afraid to change, don’t hesitate to try, and don’t stop moving up a class,” said Danang.

(Bandung City Communications and Information Service/bhf)