Gus Yahya Affirms Commitment to Digital-Based Transformation of PBNU Governance
Entering its second century, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) is committed to strengthening digital-based organisational transformation without abandoning its scholarly traditions. This strategic step is being taken to address increasingly complex challenges, ranging from artificial intelligence (AI) disruption and climate change to demographic shifts among the younger generation.
Chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama Executive Board (PBNU), KH Yahya Cholil Staquf (Gus Yahya), stressed that the organisation’s size—now encompassing 38 provincial boards, 523 district boards, 33 overseas branch boards, 7,000 sub-district boards, and 61,000 village-level boards—must be matched by modern and transparent institutional capacity.
“The size of the organisation must be reinforced by adapting to modern administration. Digitalisation and standardisation of governance are absolute pathways for NU to remain effective and relevant in serving the community at the grassroots level,” said Gus Yahya in Jakarta on Saturday.
Over the past five years, PBNU has modernised its governance through the Digdaya NU digital platform and integration of an AI-powered WhatsApp chatbot to assist administration down to the village level. This transformation is also supported by tiered cadre development programmes that have graduated more than 133,000 cadres.
Despite the modernisation drive, spiritual roots are being carefully maintained through the Nasrus Sanad programme at Tebuireng Islamic Boarding School. On the international stage, PBNU is actively expanding diplomacy through the Religion of Twenty (R20), ISORA, and global humanitarian actions via LAZISNU.
“We cannot think about NU without at the same time thinking and acting about Indonesia,” Gus Yahya asserted.
Ahead of the NU 2050 Vision, the 35th Muktamar carries the theme “Safeguarding Dignity, Enriching Service for the Nation’s Welfare” and is designed to refine the organisation’s development direction. PBNU is targeting the preparation of two strategic documents. Economic independence is also being supported through the NUNOMIC business unit and the expansion of technology integration to the village level.
“The ultimate goal of this transformation is to create a governance and economic independence system that operates automatically. In this way, the benefits of NU’s presence as an institution can be directly felt by the community down to the village level,” Gus Yahya concluded.