Antara News·Indonesia·Wednesday, October 21, 2026 at 03:32 AM UTC

Indonesia prioritizes economic programs for border communities

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A.M. Fauzan, Tegar Nurfitra

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's National Agency for Border Management and Remote Areas (BNPPDT) is prioritizing initiatives that can deliver tangible improvements to the welfare of residents in border regions across the country.

Head of BNPPDT Maruli Simanjuntak outlined the policy direction during the agency's first internal coordination meeting on Tuesday (Oct 20), urging his aides to focus on programs that can be implemented immediately while maintaining budget efficiency.

According to a statement, Simanjuntak also stressed the importance of assessing proposed initiatives to ensure they are feasible and provide concrete benefits for border communities.

"If there is a concept for improving the community's economy that appears relatively inexpensive or easy to implement, we will give it a try and see it through to completion," he said.

To support the goal, Simanjuntak instructed BNPPDT experts to form teams tasked with identifying and assessing the potential of each region.

He said the teams should be led by designated coordinators and conduct studies involving academics, students, and experts whose fields are relevant to their respective priorities.

Simanjuntak added the findings would serve as a reference for drafting detailed regional development plans, including assessments of supporting infrastructure and public facilities, particularly those related to transportation.

At the same time, he stressed the importance of maintaining the agency's ongoing programs and activities, urging officials to keep him informed of existing challenges so that solutions could be coordinated promptly.

"All initiatives should continue running as usual. If there are issues that require immediate solutions, you can communicate them to me," Simanjuntak told the officials.

He further emphasized that BNPPDT is committed to understanding the actual strengths and needs of each region to develop more targeted programs capable of delivering tangible improvements for communities in border and remote areas.

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