HUMAS USU – Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) held an Outstanding Entrepreneurship Fair as part of its series of events celebrating the university’s 74th Anniversary. The event was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), state-owned enterprises, banking institutions, and hundreds of young entrepreneurs. It was held at the USU Auditorium on Thursday, August 20, 2026.

Minister of MSMEs, Maman Abdurrahman, emphasized the importance of financial discipline in managing a business by keeping business capital separate from personal or family expenses. He also reminded recipients of the People’s Business Credit (KUR) program to use loan funds entirely for business development in accordance with the agreed terms, in order to avoid the risk of non-performing loans.

“Business capital must not be used for anything else. However, the margin or profit can then be used,” he said.

USU Rector, Prof. Dr. Muryanto Amin, S.Sos., M.Si., reaffirmed the university’s commitment to continue serving as an incubator for talented and highly competitive young entrepreneurs.

“This 74th Anniversary celebration is an important moment for USU to continue creating a tangible impact on society. Through collaboration in this Outstanding Entrepreneurship Fair, the university stands at the forefront in supporting students and aspiring young entrepreneurs so that they can develop strong competitiveness and sustainable businesses,” he said.

Continuing the event, M. Riza Damanik, Special Staff to the Minister of Cooperatives and MSMEs, presented a report on the implementation of the Outstanding Entrepreneurship Fair. He explained that North Sumatra was selected as the third location for the fair out of a target of seven provinces in Indonesia, due to its strong potential in leading commodities and its remarkable entrepreneurial spirit.

“North Sumatra was specifically selected because of its abundance of leading natural resource commodities, supported by hardworking communities and a young generation determined to become resilient entrepreneurs,” he said.

On the same occasion, North Sumatra Governor Muhammad Bobby Afif Nasution expressed appreciation for the region’s progress in distributing financing to MSMEs and highlighted the importance of improving financial literacy among business owners. The North Sumatra Provincial Government is also encouraging improvements in bookkeeping, training in the preparation of feasibility studies, and the allocation of Rp50 billion in capital through regional-owned enterprises (BUMDs) to help local MSMEs grow and advance.

“Our MSME financing distribution has reached 95 percent of the Rp1 trillion target. However, our main challenges today are financial literacy and the preparation of feasibility studies. Many MSMEs have excellent products but still face difficulties because their bookkeeping is mixed with household expenses and their business reports are not yet properly prepared for investors,” he said.