Chapter 8 Survivability of MSMEs in Maluku: An Analysis on Challenges, Opportunities and Strategic Development

As an archipelago, Maluku Province of the East Indonesia has an area with about less than 8% of land and 92% of sea. The economic development in Maluku Province which is an archipelago since long ago is strongly influenced by micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). This chapter discusses challenges, opportunities and strategic development of the MSMEs in Maluku Province during the Covid 19 pandemic and beyond. Ambon as the capital city of Maluku Province is the center of economic movement where numerous amount of small, medium and large economic activities can be found in this city. Two major challenges surrounding the activities and development of MSMEs in Maluku Province are management and accessing funding. The absence of a well-structured management within MSMEs in Maluku has led to a common obstacle where the MSME owners cannot separate business purpose expenditures from personal needs. Capital and access to financing has become a problem at almost every level of business including MSMEs. This chapter made a significant contribution in providing possible strategy in enhancing survivability of MSMEs in Maluku.