Umar Lessy Deputy Secretary-General, The Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association
Entrepreneurs help Reduce Unemployment

INDONESIA is a country with the largest economy in Southeast Asia, enjoying an annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 5.1 percent this year, according to the World Bank. It has slowed down since last year, but the country continues to grow. To entrepreneur Umar Lessy, who is deputy secretary-general of the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association (HIPMI), Indonesia needs more entrepreneurs to ensure a sustainable economic growth.

According to HIPMI, only 1.5 percent of Indonesia's total population run businesses. "Ideally, there should be at least 2 percent of entrepreneurs for a developing country like us. We are short by 1.7 million businesspeople," he said.

May 10, 2016