BI West Papua launches 2nd Torang Creative and Ecotourism Festival and the 3rd KASUARI

Bank Indonesia (BI) West Papua Province Representative Office has officially started the series of Strategic Flagship Events (SFE) 2025 by launching the 2^nd Torang Creative and Ecotourism Festival and the 3^rd KASUARI (Curation, Training, and Capacity Building for Independent MSMEs).

The events, which took place on Mar. 3, 2025, was attended by various stakeholders, including representatives of local governments, related agencies, and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) assessed to be of good potential from the provinces of West Papua and Southwest Papua.

The activity's inauguration was carried out ceremonially by playing the tifa, a symbol of Papuan culture, by Southwest Papua Province Government & Social Welfare Assistant I Rahman together with BI West Papua Deputy Head Roni Cahyadi. Roni emphasized that BI continues to be committed to strengthening the MSME ecosystem, especially through digitalization of payment systems and increasing access to inclusive financing.

"Synergy between MSMEs, banks, and other stakeholders is very important to create inclusive and sustainable economic growth. The local community also plays a big role in supporting the expansion of local products and strengthening the identity of the regional economy," he said.

Meanwhile, Rahman welcomed BI's initiative to develop the creative economy and strengthening the tourism sector of both West Papua and Southwest Papua. He emphasized that Southwest Papua has world-class tourism potential, so it is important to continue building cross-sector collaboration to maximize its impact on the regional economy.

"As part of the SFE, the 2^nd Torang Creative and Ecotourism Festival aims to introduce and develop ecotourism in the West Papua and Southwest Papua regions. This festival is a forum for local creative and tourism industry players to promote their regional potential to a wider market, both nationally and internationally," explained Rahman.

By showcasing superior ecotourism products, this festival is expected to increase the competitiveness of the tourism sector and encourage more investment and tourist visits to West Papua and Southwest Papua.

In addition to the festival, this ceremony also marked the start of the 3^rd KASUARI, a flagship program in capturing and developing potential MSMEs in West Papua and Southwest Papua. The KASUARI program has been organized since 2023, with a main focus on curating MSME products, training, and increasing the involved MSMEs' business capacity to compete in a wider market. 

The program's curation process in 2025 will be held in two locations, namely Sorong City, Southwest Papua and Manokwari Regency, West Papua on March 3-7, 2025. The MSME curation for KURASI 2025 will be carried out by Rumah Kurasi from Kediri City, East Java Province. which will assess products from various aspects, including legality, packaging, production capacity, and competitiveness in the global market.

MSMEs that pass the administrative selection will undergo a curation process to assess the added value of their products, branding aspects, and quality standards in line with market preferences. The best of them will receive various development support such as business assistance and training, onboarding to digital platforms, capacity building and competitiveness improvement, opportunities to participate in national & international events, and facilitation of expansion into export markets.

With a targeted and collaborative approach in kicking off SFE 2025, BI and other relevant stakeholders strive to ensure that local MSMEs can develop, adapt to the digital era, and enter the export market.