Jakarta, Aug. 21 -- Indonesia's micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are the backbone of the national economy but remain underrepresented in global markets, Investment Minister/Head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Rosan Roeslani said Thursday.

"MSMEs are a cornerstone of our economy," Roeslani said, noting the sector employs around 117 million people - roughly 97 percent of the workforce - and contributes 61 percent to GDP.

Despite their domestic strength, MSMEs account for only 16 percent of Indonesia's exports.

"One of our goals is to push MSMEs to go global, and to become creative, high-quality, and export-ready. This remains a major challenge," he said while encouraging MSME players to move up the ladder to beco...