SERANG – The Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions (Mendes PDT), Yandri Susanto, alongside Regent of Serang Ratu Rachmatu Zakiyah, attended the Kick-Off of the Gen Z Village Ambassador Festival (Festival Duta Desa Gen Z) at Kramatwatu Square, Serang, on Saturday (August 29, 2026).

The official tagline of the event is "Tajir Melintir dari Desa" (Filthy Rich from the Village).

Minister Yandri stated that Kemendes PDT has implemented 12 Rural Development Actions (12 Aksi Bangun Desa, Bangun Indonesia), derived directly from the 6th pillar of President Prabowo's Asta Cita agenda: building from the village and from the bottom-up for economic equality and poverty eradication.

"One of our key action points is the Pioneer Rural Youth initiative, which encompasses the Gen Z Village Ambassador program," Minister Yandri noted.

Kemendes PDT also manages a flagship program dispatching Pioneer Rural Youth to Japan for work-study arrangements, providing participants with scholarships valued at up to IDR 300 million alongside competitive remuneration.

"This is our strategy for building human resource capacity in rural areas," Minister Yandri added.

Second, Minister Yandri highlighted the Export Village initiative, which aligns closely with the festival's tagline. Rural Gen Z youth are encouraged to develop local commodities to reach export-ready standards.

Kemendes PDT has secured access to 49 Export Destination Countries for village commodities driven by Gen Z entrepreneurs.

When youth and Gen Z become successful entrepreneurs based in rural areas, they directly elevate their local communities toward achieving Independent Village (Desa Mandiri) status.

"If we successfully build the village, we are genuinely building Indonesia," Minister Yandri emphasized.

Consequently, he called for reinforcing Export Villages, Tourism Villages, and Food Security Thematic Villages designed to supply the national Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program.

Minister Yandri also reminded rural residents to exercise digital literacy by utilizing social media platforms to disseminate accurate and positive content.

Echoing this sentiment, Head of the Development Control and Special Investigation Agency (BPP-IK), Aris Marsudiyanto, championed the "Jempol Baik" (Good Thumbs) campaign. This movement encourages citizens to use their thumbs responsibly on social media by sharing constructive news rather than hoaxes.

Meanwhile, Regent Ratu expressed her gratitude and appreciation for selecting Serang Regency to host the kick-off for the Gen Z Village Ambassador program. She praised the initiative as highly positive amidst rapid modernization and digitalization.

"Kemendes PDT has created a vital platform to recruit, educate, and consolidate rural youth, enabling them to become local champions with global competitiveness," Regent Ratu stated.

The grand finale of the launch event featured a live musical performance by popular singer Charly van Houten for the assembled local community.

The event was attended by members of the Serang Regency Regional Leadership Communication Forum (Forkopimda), village heads, rural development associations, and residents of Kramatwatu.

Accompanying Minister Yandri were Secretary-General Taufik Madjid, Inspector General Masyhudi, Director General of PDP Nugroho Setijo Nagoro, Director General of PEID Tabrani, Director General of PDT Samsul Widodo, Head of BPI Mulyadin Malik, Head of BPSDM Agustomi Masik, Expert Staff Sugito, Special Staff M. Khoirul Huda, alongside Junior High Executive Officials across Kemendes PDT.

Photo: Didi/Kemendes PDT 
Text: Firman/Kemendes PDT