Minister Riefky Urges Youth to Drive Creative Economy

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Ministry of Creative Economy/Creative Economy Agency has reaffirmed its commitment to cross-sector collaboration aimed at empowering the younger generation to transform local culture, creativity, and technology into a new economic force. This commitment emerged during a meeting between the Ministry and the Kartini Heritage Center, which focused on integrating the role of youth into region-based national strategic programs.

"We welcome this strategic initiative, as the energy for national change is always born from the hands of creative young people. This is an excellent idea with strong ties to the creative economy ecosystem. We will discuss potential collaborative efforts further with the relevant directorates," Minister Riefky said at the Ministry’s office on Tuesday, September 29, 2026.

The meeting involved an in-depth discussion of the "The Legacy Relay 2026" concept—a concrete framework for transforming ideas from the younger generation into productive works, job creation, and the growth of new businesses. This synergy is designed to ensure that creative economy development moves beyond mere discourse, resulting instead in intellectual outputs and sustainable action programs.

Data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), processed by the Ministry of Ekraf, indicates that Indonesia's creative economy sector is dominated by Gen Z and Millennials. Young people account for approximately 63 percent—or 17.26 million individuals—of the total 27.40 million-strong creative economy workforce. This immense potential spans 21 creative economy sub-sectors, categorized into four main clusters: Arts and Cultural Creativity, Design Creativity, Technology and Digital Creativity, and Media Creativity.

"Since The Legacy Relay 2026 coincides with the World Conference on Creative Economy (WCCE) 2026—scheduled for October 21–23, 2026, in Jakarta under the theme 'Inclusively Creative: Collective Continuity'—we can explore further communication regarding potential collaboration with WCCE activities," the Minister of Creative Economy conveyed.

According to a release received by RRI Voice of Indonesia on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, to mark the 2026 Youth Pledge (Sumpah Pemuda) commemoration, the Kartini Heritage Center Foundation and The Habibie Center will host The Legacy Relay 2026: Special Youth Pledge Forum, centered on the question: "What Will Our Generation Leave Behind?" The forum will bring together approximately 200 curated participants from diverse generations to explore and carry forward the values and struggles of three Indonesian national figures: Mohammad Hatta, R.A. Kartini, and B.J. Habibie.

Through a sequence of "200 Voices – 200 Letters – 28 Selected Ideas – 1 Book – 3 First Actions," young people, professionals, academics, and creators are encouraged to engage in dialogue, share ideas, and transform them into tangible works and actions for the nation's future. "We deeply appreciate the Minister for recognizing our foundation's potential and for providing a platform and opportunities for collaboration to create real impact for the community. We hope the creative economy sector will continue to support us, as we have many upcoming activities focused on economic self-reliance," Joddy Mulyasetya Putra, Chairperson of the Kartini Heritage Center Foundation said.

During the audience, the Minister of Creative Economy was accompanied by the Deputy for Creative Economy Strategic Development, Mohammed Ali Berawi; the Director of Strategic Studies and Management, Agus Syarip Hidayat; the Director of Fashion, Iffah Saaidah; the Director of Digital Content, Yuana Rohma Astuti; and the Director of Publishing and Photography, Iman Santosa. as well as the Minister's Expert Staff for Protocol and Regional Coordination, Panji Purboyo.