Malut Governor Strengthens Regional Connectivity to Reduce Inequality
North Maluku (Malut) Governor Sherly Tjoanda has stated she will continue efforts to reduce inequality in the region. Although the gap in Malut has narrowed nationally, she observes that some residents are still being left behind.
“In human terms, there are still those who are left behind; 174,000 out of 1.4 million residents remain in the pre-prosperous zone, and we are working to lift them out of it,” she told CNBC Indonesia.
According to Sherly, the current issue of inequality centres on connectivity, specifically roads and bridges that are not yet linked. She noted that 60% of Malut’s population are farmers and 20% are fishermen, both of whom need road access, such as bridges, to transport their produce to markets, requiring significant funds to construct.
“Our provincial road readiness is only at 46%, with less than 550km of roads. The target is to complete the provincial roads before 2030, with a total of 1,900km of roads in Malut still unfinished. As the province with the highest growth, we hope this can be completed to support economic equality,” she asserted.
Sherly also stressed that equality goes hand in hand with sustainability. She said her task is to convert natural wealth, in this case nickel, into roads and bridges as capital to prepare for a better future.
“The choice is a better future opportunity: converting natural wealth into human wealth before the nickel runs out. So that even if the nickel is gone, the people of Malut are already prosperous, with a stable diversified economy and a better quality of life. Even if they remain farmers and fishermen, they can use technology without sacrificing Malut’s local values,” she concluded.
North Maluku recorded economic growth of 19.6% in the first quarter of 2026, largely supported by downstream processing, particularly of nickel. She added that the multiplier effect from nickel downstreaming is also substantial, including the creation of 100,000 jobs and very high economic turnover.