11 Downstreaming Projects in North Maluku Could Create 10,000 Jobs
JAKARTA — Eleven downstreaming projects at the Indonesia Weda Bay Industrial Park (IWIP) in North Maluku are projected to create more than 10,000 new jobs. The projects, with total investment of US$10.2 billion, or around Rp180 trillion, cover electric-vehicle battery industries, nickel processing and solar-energy components.
Investment and Downstreaming Minister and Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) head Rosan Perkasa Roeslani said the projects would create a more integrated industrial supply chain. The investment is also expected to increase employment at the industrial estate in North Maluku.
“The development will make the industrial ecosystem in the area increasingly integrated from upstream to downstream, and more than 10,000 jobs will be created,” Rosan said, according to a statement received on Monday (19 October 2026).
Rosan said projects that have been built or are in the pipeline include nickel-based battery materials, battery production, electrolytic aluminium and electric heavy equipment. The developments cover various stages, from processing raw materials to producing industrial goods.
“These include nickel-based battery materials, electric-vehicle battery separators, EV battery electrolytes and photovoltaic glass for the solar-energy industry,” Rosan said.
Rosan explained that the projected employment of more than 10,000 people would come from new projects under development. This figure is separate from the cumulative workforce already employed at IWIP, which exceeds 100,000.
Downstreaming is also a policy priority of President Prabowo Subianto’s administration and Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka. The government sees it as a strategy to increase the added value of natural resources while creating employment opportunities.
Rosan said more than 75 per cent of realised downstreaming investment had taken place outside Java. This reflects the scale of investment in natural-resource processing across the regions, including North Maluku.
In the province, manufacturing is now said to account for nearly half of regional gross domestic product (GDP). The development points to a shift in North Maluku’s economic structure as industrial activity expands. “The province is no longer merely a mining region; it has become an industrial region,” Rosan said.
The government hopes the downstreaming projects will boost regional economic activity through job creation and supporting industries. However, the projected creation of more than 10,000 jobs depends on projects that are still under development.