JAKARTA – The Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions (Mendes PDT), Yandri Susanto, officially inaugurated 200 participants for the first cohort of the "Pemuda Bangun Desa Bangun Indonesia" (Youths Build Villages, Build Indonesia) Program.

This program represents a concrete milestone by the government to equip rural youths with global competitiveness, turning them into prime drivers for development in their respective hometowns.

Minister Yandri elaborated that the 200 inaugurated youth participants hail from various villages across 15 provinces in Indonesia. While in Japan, these young individuals will gain valuable opportunities to study and gather hands-on experience, elevating their professional skills and global insights.
 

"We heavily hope that they will not merely seek employment, but will instead be capable of creating jobs upon returning to Indonesia. The knowledge and experience acquired in Japan are expected to be implemented directly to build up villages across the nation," Minister Yandri stated.

Indonesia holds immense rural potential with its 75,266 villages, which can be further developed into export villages, tourism villages, energy-self-sufficient villages, water-independent villages, and various other productive sectors. This initiative is embedded within the Ministry's strategic actions to drive rural development oriented toward community welfare.

Alongside sending youths to Japan, the Ministry of Villages has forged strategic partnerships with higher education institutions to expand educational access for rural communities. During the event, the Ministry announced an initial quota of 500 scholarships for rural children to pursue higher education.

"Securing successful village development requires extensive multi-party collaboration through an Octahelix approach—a synergy bridging the government, business sector, academia, community, media, and other social elements," Minister Yandri added.

The program strictly aligns with President Prabowo Subianto's 6th Asta Cita (Aspiration): "Building from the Village and from the Bottom-Up for Economic Equality and Poverty Eradication."

Meanwhile, the Special Envoy to the President for Youth Development and Art Workers, Raffi Ahmad, voiced his full support for the capacity-building initiatives targeting rural youths. He highly commended the Ministry’s initiative to offer global-scale learning opportunities to the younger generation.

"Rural youths hold a massive role in shaping the nation's future. After absorbing knowledge and experience in Japan, they are expected to return to Indonesia to develop their respective regions and generate tangible benefits for the community," Raffi remarked.

National development must be initiated from the grass-roots village level. When villages progress, the advancement of the nation as a whole will be accelerated. The Pemuda Bangun Desa Bangun Indonesia program is envisioned as a strategic step to breed innovative, globally competitive youth generations capable of acting as agents of change for rural advancement and a prosperous Indonesia.

The inauguration event was attended by the Rector of Universitas Siber Asia Jang Youn Cho, the Regent of Serang Ratu Rachmatu Zakiyah, BRIN Senior Researcher Siti Zuhro, Director of Arthindo Group M. Rasyid Rajasa, Director of Kurma Adzwa Farm Ikhsan Davit, and several corporate representatives.

Accompanying Minister Yandri were Secretary-General Taufik Madjid, Head of BPSDM Agustomi Masik, and other senior officials within the Ministry.

Photo: Sigit/Kemendes PDT 
Text: Firman/Kemendes PDT