Deputy Interior Minister Urges Regional Governments to Leverage National Strategic Projects to Boost Local Economies
Deputy Interior Minister (Wamendagri), Bima Arya Sugiarto, is urging regional governments (Pemda) to leverage the National Strategic Programme (PSN) as a driver of local economic growth. He conveyed this during his attendance at the Deliberation on Development Planning (Musrenbang) for the Jambi Province Regional Government Work Plan (RKPD).
The event, held at the Jambi Governor’s Official Residence on Wednesday (15/4), centred on the theme of accelerating investment productivity and downstream processing to promote inclusive, sustainable, and competitive economic growth.
In his remarks, Bima stressed that national strategic programmes should not be viewed as a burden for regions. Instead, they need to be optimised to deliver tangible impacts on the economy and public welfare.
“National strategic programmes are a lever for progress in the regions, provided that regional heads take the initiative, monitor, and seize opportunities,” Bima stated in his comments on Thursday (16/4/2026).
He explained that the central government is currently pushing various cross-sectoral priority programmes, from basic services to economic strengthening. These programmes, he continued, have the potential to generate multiplier effects if managed optimally by regional governments.
On this occasion, Bima also reminded that global geopolitical dynamics should be approached as opportunities for transformation. He emphasised that regional governments must be capable of shifting to more effective and adaptive working patterns to capture opportunities amid global uncertainties.
“This is where the quality of regional leadership is tested, whether they can see opportunities or feel burdened instead,” he asserted.
Additionally, he highlighted Jambi’s economic potential, including the plantation sector such as coconuts, which he assessed as having significant opportunities for development through downstream processing and value addition.
Furthermore, Bima hopes that with solidarity and optimisation of its potential, Jambi Province can serve as an example for other regions in implementing national priority programmes as a driver of regional progress.
For information, attendees at the event included Jambi Governor Al Haris; Deputy Governor of Jambi, Abdullah Sani, as well as local government officials.