Jakarta, 5 October 2026: ERIA shared ASEAN’s experience in strengthening the participation of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in regional and global markets during a session on ‘MSME Empowerment: Lessons Learned from ASEAN’, held at ERIA’s Jakarta office as part of the South-South and Triangular Co-operation (SSTC) on Trade and Investment Promotion programme.

The session was delivered by Megawati, Trade Policy Fellow at ERIA, for officials from African countries participating in the SSTC programme. It provided an opportunity to exchange practical lessons on MSME development and internationalisation, drawing on ASEAN’s regional experience.

The SSTC programme is organised by the Government of Indonesia, mainly through the Ministry of State Secretariat and the Ministry of Trade, in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The programme aims to share practical knowledge and experience with participants from African countries in areas including trade facilitation, export development, investment promotion, institutional strengthening, and regional economic co-operation.

During the session, Megawati discussed ASEAN’s policy priorities for strengthening MSME integration and facilitating greater participation in regional and global markets. While MSMEs play a vital role in ASEAN economies, their contribution to regional exports remains relatively low, highlighting the continuing gap between their importance to domestic economies and their participation in cross-border trade.

The discussion also introduced the ASEAN SME Policy Index 2024, jointly developed by ERIA and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in co-operation with the ASEAN Secretariat and national policymakers. The assessment shows progress in ASEAN’s SME policy environment since 2018, with improvements across all eight policy dimensions and greater convergence amongst ASEAN Member States.

To translate these lessons into practical applications, the session concluded with interactive case-study discussions. Participants explored how ASEAN’s experience could inform MSME internationalisation in their own national and regional contexts, including through simpler systems, stronger connections to business support services, improved institutional co-ordination, and partnerships involving governments and other ecosystem actors.

The exchange highlighted three broad priorities for strengthening MSME policies: simplifying systems, connecting MSMEs with the support they need, and strengthening co-ordination across ministries and agencies.

The session provided an opportunity for ERIA to share ASEAN’s policy experience through broader South-South and triangular co-operation, while fostering mutual learning on how MSMEs can be better connected to regional and international economic opportunities.