Supporting Inclusion, Pertamina Develops Women's MSMEs through PFpreneur Program

Jakarta, November 2, 2024 – Committed to fostering women's entrepreneurship to drive the national economy, PT Pertamina (Persero), through the Pertamina Foundation, has relaunched the PFpreneur program for the support and development of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Through this program, Pertamina promotes women-led business growth based on modern, competitive business management.

In its fourth year, PFpreneur has provided training to more than 4,000 female entrepreneurs, or "womenpreneurs," in three business categories: crafts, fashion, and culinary. In 2023, 153 MSMEs were selected as Pertamina's fostered partner, and this number is set to double in 2024.

The Vice President of Corporate Communication of Pertamina, Fadjar Djoko Santoso, stated that PFpreneur is part of Pertamina's structured, tiered, and integrated MSME coaching initiative to support sustainable MSMEs.

"PFpreneur serves as a platform for female entrepreneurs to enhance their competitiveness and as an entry point to become Pertamina’s fostered partner. We continue the support so that PFpreneur participants can attend the advanced UMK Academy coaching classes, with a curriculum covering Go Modern, Go Online, Go Digital, Go Global, and Go Green over an intensive six-month period. It helps them advance to higher levels, access national and international exhibitions, and be included in the smexpo e-catalog. This way, their products become more recognized, positively impacting their income," said Fadjar.

Many PFpreneur participants have succeeded through international exhibitions and business meetings as Pertamina partners, such as Agrominafiber Handicraft & Home Décor, Bananania, and Imago Raw Honey.

Agrominafiber Handicraft & Home Décor is an eco-friendly craft product from Kebumen, utilizing raw materials from banana tree waste and water hyacinth, transformed into attractive handicrafts and home decorations. At the INACRAFT event, these products drew the buyers' interest from Argentina, resulting in orders for thousands of lampshades.

In the culinary sector, Bananania offers banana-based food products, including banana chips, banana granola, banana flour, banana cookies, and banana cracklings. Their products, processed without coloring agents or preservatives, are certified by BPOM, Halal, HAKI, and HACCP. This advantage allowed Bananania to collaborate with the Canadian marketplace Archipelago during the 2024 Trade Expo Indonesia.

Imago Raw Honey is a superfood made from pure honey from Mount Gede Pangrango, Bogor, and forests in Central Java, packaged exclusively. At the Pertamina SMEXPO 2024 Business Meeting, Imago secured potential buyers from Bangladesh and Egypt for orders exceeding 2,000 packages.

“Through the PFpreneur program, we became one of Pertamina's fostered MSMEs. This program provided training and guidance that strengthened our foundation as an MSME, enabling us to compete in local, national, and international markets. It gave us the confidence to showcase our products to buyers at exhibitions and business matchmaking events,” said Shinta Aviyani, owner of Imago Raw Honey.

Registration for PFpreneur is open from November 2 to November 24, 2024, on the official Pertamina Foundation website, pertaminafoundation.org. It is dedicated to women entrepreneurs across Indonesia at least 18 years old. Their businesses must have been operating for at least six months in the crafts, fashion, culinary, or agriculture sectors. Agriculture is the newest category in the PFpreneur program, encompassing organic vegetables, hydroponic vegetables, plant seeds, agricultural tools, and ornamental plants.

The President Director of Pertamina Foundation, Agus Mashud S. Asngari, emphasized that PFpreneur not only trains entrepreneurs but also builds a strong foundation for business growth and sustainability.

“Supported by Pertamina’s MSME coaching ecosystem, the program begins with the selection process, business incubation, funding assistance, participation in exhibitions, and continuous support through publications and coaching. Thus, PFpreneur not only produces entrepreneurs but also lays a solid foundation for their business growth and sustainability, contributing positively to the national economy,” said Agus.

Pertamina's support for MSMEs at this exhibition reflects the company’s commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. This initiative is also aligned with Environmental, Social, & Governance (ESG) principles, which promote sustainable economic growth and positive societal impacts.

Pertamina, as a leading company in the energy transition, is committed to supporting the Net Zero Emission 2060 target by continuously promoting programs that directly impact the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) achievement: Goal 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy, Goal 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth, and Goal 13 – Climate Action. All these efforts align with Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) implementation across all Pertamina's business lines and operations.**