ESDM Minister's Expert Staff: Natural resource management must be accompanied by human resource strengthening
Satya Hangga Yudha Widya Putra, an expert staff member to the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, has said that the management of strategic natural resources must be accompanied by strengthening national human resource capacity.
According to him, in the context of global strategic environmental developments, state sovereignty needs to be understood more comprehensively. Challenges to a country’s sovereignty are not only related to defence and security aspects, but can also emerge through economic, energy, technological, industrial and supply chain resilience dimensions.
“Therefore, strengthening national capacity to manage strategic resources independently is an important part of safeguarding and strengthening Indonesia’s sovereignty,” Hangga said at the ‘Indonesia Day: Rethinking Economic Sovereignty’ event organised by the NYU Alumni Club Indonesia and Columbia Society Indonesia in Jakarta.
According to Hangga, Indonesia possesses vast energy and mineral resource wealth. However, this potential needs to be accompanied by national capability to process resources, increase added value, develop technology, and build industries capable of utilising these resources sustainably.
In this context, human resource development is one of the key foundations so that Indonesia not only possesses natural resources, but also has the ability to master processing and value creation domestically.
“It is not enough for us to merely have natural resources. We must have the ability to process them and create added value domestically. That is why human resource development is so important. We need a generation with the competence to manage energy and mineral resources, master technology, and drive the growth of national industry,” he explained.
This, Hangga continued, is in line with the importance of industrial and technological capability as part of national sovereignty.
The discussion forum brought together various groups to discuss strengthening Indonesia’s economic sovereignty amid technological change, geopolitical dynamics, and challenges to energy and industrial resilience.
The discussion raised a number of strategic issues, ranging from advanced manufacturing, economic growth, energy security and industrial transformation to geopolitical resilience.
Hangga added that Indonesia Day 2026 is expected to be a momentum to strengthen collaboration between government, business, academia, professionals and alumni communities in building a shared perspective on the future of Indonesia’s economic sovereignty.
“Through cross-sector dialogue, various stakeholders are expected to promote more concrete ideas and collaboration to strengthen national economic, energy, technological and industrial resilience,” he said.