Managers and Treasurers of Merah Putih Village Cooperatives to Be Certified by BNSP

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Minister of Cooperatives Ferry Juliantono has collaborated with the National Professional Certification Agency (BNSP) to prepare certification for managers and treasurers of Merah Putih Village/Urban Village Cooperatives. This step is being taken ahead of the cooperatives entering the operational stage.

Ferry stated that the operational stage is a highly determining phase for the success of the Merah Putih Village/Urban Village Cooperatives programme across Indonesia. Therefore, the government wants to ensure that its managers possess adequate competence and professionalism.

“Alhamdulillah, we have just signed a cooperation agreement for the occupational scheme activities for managers and treasurers of Merah Putih Village/Urban Village Cooperatives, which will soon enter the operationalisation stage,” said Ferry during a press conference at his office in Jakarta on Friday (8/5/2026).

According to him, the Ministry of Cooperatives (Kemenkop) feels the need to partner with BNSP so that the cooperative managers, specifically managers and treasurers, receive guidance as well as official certification.

“Therefore, we, the Ministry of Cooperatives, feel it is necessary to work with BNSP so that the managers and treasurers of Merah Putih Village/Urban Village Cooperatives are truly accompanied by guidance and supported by the issuance of certificates for those positions,” he said.

He emphasised that the government hopes the managers and treasurers of the cooperatives will be filled by competent and professional human resources.

“We have high hopes with this cooperation that the managers and treasurers of Merah Putih Village/Urban Village Cooperatives are truly competent, professional, and supported by a process that truly supports this extraordinary goal,” he stated.

Ferry also assessed that the operational phase is actually the most important point for the success of the cooperative programme.

“Because the operational stage is an important stage, and in fact becomes very important for the success of Merah Putih Village/Urban Village Cooperatives across Indonesia,” he said.

He revealed that the number of applicants for cooperative managers has now reached hundreds of thousands.

“Considering the number that will be involved as managers and treasurers from the current situation, there are already 639,000 registrations for managers of Merah Putih Village/Urban Village Cooperatives, not including treasurers yet,” said Ferry.

Nevertheless, the initial recruitment stage will cover around 35,000 people.

“There will be subsequent stages. Because now we are recruiting 35,000, 30,000 for Merah Putih Village/Urban Village Cooperatives, and the remaining about 5,000 for Merah Putih Fishery Villages,” he added.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Cooperatives Farida Farichah explained that the cooperation with BNSP is to prepare the cooperative’s crew, especially managers and treasurers.

“This MOU is a collaboration MOU between the Ministry of Cooperatives and BNSP in preparation for crewing, namely cooperative managers, and will be followed by treasurers,” said Farida on the same occasion.

She stated that the recruitment process for prospective managers is currently ongoing. After that, participants will undergo education for about 1.5 months.

“In the near future, the recruitment process for managers, prospective managers to become managers, is underway,” she said.

“After that, there will be education for approximately 1.5 months, which will include national insight education as well as cooperative managerial training,” continued Farida.

After the education, the prospective cooperative managers will undergo competency certification.

“After the education is completed, certification will then be carried out,” she said.

Farida emphasised that strengthening human resource quality is an important focus of the government so that Merah Putih Village/Urban Village Cooperatives can truly become village economic centres.

According to her, the government also wants to address public doubts regarding villagers’ ability to manage cooperatives.

“So far, we have often received input from all parties, whether villagers or village officials are capable of managing their villages in the Merah Putih Village Cooperatives? Today, we are preparing for that, starting gradually from the managers,” she explained.

She assured that human resource strengthening will not stop at the manager position alone.

“We are preparing human resources for managers, which will be followed by treasurers, and then other resources,” said Farida.

On the other hand, Chairman of the National Professional Certification Agency (BNSP) Syamsi Hari stated that strengthening cooperative human resources aligns with President Prabowo Subianto’s Asta Cita agenda.

“Mr Prabowo’s Asta Cita, one of which is human resources,” said Syamsi.

He explained that BNSP together with the Ministry of Cooperatives is compiling a national competency scheme for cooperative managers.

“We, together with the Minister, Deputy Minister, and the team here, are harmonising perceptions for strengthening human resource competencies, thus we are preparing a national cooperative scheme with urgency for managers and treasurers as leaders in the field,” he said.

He hopes that the certification can ensure that cooperative management runs according to applicable standards and rules.

“Thus, through the Ministry of Cooperatives and BNSP, this scheme is to produce competencies for a manager and treasurer as well, in the implementation of their management, it is hoped to be in accordance with applicable standards, thus becoming ease for us together, smoothness for us together in running Merah Putih Village/Urban Village Cooperatives,” concluded Syamsi.