Iftitah Sulaiman Urges Universities to Bring Innovation to Transmigration Areas
Minister of Transmigration M. Iftitah Sulaiman Suryanagara is encouraging higher education institutions to make transmigration areas a space for applying knowledge, research, and innovation. According to him, the presence of universities can develop local potential, as well as create new sources of income and employment for the community.
“There is no other way but to bring superior human resources into the transformation of transmigration. There must be a flood of knowledge and technology in the development of transmigration areas,” said Iftitah while delivering a public lecture at Hasanuddin University (Unhas), Makassar, on Tuesday, 11 August 2026.
According to Iftitah, knowledge must not stop in lecture halls, journals, or laboratories, but must be present and provide direct benefits to the community.
To realise this idea, the Ministry of Transmigration is encouraging the development of satellite campuses by making transmigration areas a living laboratory. Through this development, students and academics from various disciplines can conduct research, test knowledge, and produce innovations based on the real problems faced by the community.
The collaboration covers various fields, ranging from agriculture, health, education, economics, and technology to the environment.
“Not only health and medicine. We want to bring various disciplines to transmigration areas, one of which is through the Patriot Expedition Team,” he said.
Citing the development of coffee commodities as an example, Iftitah said communities need science-based assistance to produce high-quality coffee with high selling value. This assistance is needed from the stages of seeding, care, picking, processing, and packaging to marketing.
A similar approach can be applied to various leading commodities in transmigration areas. In this way, natural wealth does not stop being sold as raw materials, but is processed into value-added products that provide greater benefits to the community.
“If economic activity grows there, the ecosystem must also be built. Local communities must not merely become spectators when investment arrives on their own land,” said Iftitah.
Therefore, investment must go hand in hand with increasing community capacity. Local residents must be prepared to become skilled workers, business actors, suppliers, and even part of the ownership of the economic ecosystem developing in their region.
Through this transformation, communities in transmigration areas are expected to experience improvements in skills, productivity, income, and the quality of basic services. At the same time, more job and business opportunities can be enjoyed by local residents.
In talent management, Indonesia can also learn from the brain circulation practice applied by China. Students and experts are given the opportunity to study and conduct research abroad, then return bringing knowledge, experience, and networks to build their country.
Iftitah also emphasised that the development of transmigration areas must be carried out sustainably while preserving the environment and respecting local culture. Kutai Kartanegara Regency, for example, has seen parts of its area develop into forest and conservation areas for orangutans and sun bears, while also having the potential to be developed as a tourist destination.
“Area development must be sustainable. Nothing is instant. Development must also not ignore the environment and local culture,” he said.
Transmigration areas can certainly become spaces for research, innovation, and community service for universities. Likewise for students, these areas can be places to gain real experience while preparing for the future.
Meanwhile, for the business world, these areas provide economic potential that can be developed in a planned manner. As for the community, the transformation of transmigration opens opportunities to improve skills, obtain employment, build businesses, and enjoy the benefits of economic growth in their own regions.
“Transmigration is not merely a programme, but a strategy to realise an advanced Indonesia. The more knowledgeable we are, the more capable we are of seeing potential, developing it into economic strength, and ensuring that its benefits are truly felt by the community,” said Iftitah.