Minister and DEN Chief Forge Data-Driven Strategy to Strengthen National Housing Ecosystem
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Minister of Housing and Settlement Areas (PKP) Maruarar Sirait (Ara) and Chair of the National Economic Council (DEN) Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan are strengthening the national housing ecosystem through the integration of data, technology and cross-sectoral policy.
“Today we held lengthy discussions with the DEN Chair, Pak Luhut. The number one item on the agenda was IT, AI (artificial intelligence), essentially technology, which we discussed to make things more transparent, faster, more precisely targeted, and data-driven,” Ara said after a closed-door meeting with DEN Chair Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan in Jakarta on Thursday.
Ara said the main discussion with the DEN focused on utilising information technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and data-based systems so that all housing programmes run more transparently and reach the right targets.
The Ministry of PKP will synchronise its internal database with data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), supported by the DEN team, to produce more accurate and integrated national housing data.
This synchronisation will include mapping the housing backlog by name and by address, covering both people who do not yet own a home and occupants of uninhabitable dwellings across Indonesia.
The consolidated data will also serve as the basis for distributing housing stimulus assistance, including the home renovation programme, which is being increased from 45,000 to 400,000 units so that it genuinely reaches those entitled to it.
Ara explained that BPS has already mapped the areas with the highest poverty levels as a reference for prioritising housing programmes, making government intervention more effective and based on people’s real needs.
“BPS has helped by providing, for instance, the 20 regencies/cities in Indonesia with the highest poverty percentages. If I remember correctly, roughly 19 of those 20 are in Papua, spread across Papua’s six provinces,” Ara said.
Maruarar explained that the Ministry of PKP is also drafting a Housing Law that will integrate various aspects of housing provision, from data and land supply to financing and coordination across ministries and agencies.
According to him, input from the DEN Chair forms an important part of refining the policy so that it can support sustainable development of the housing sector.
Beyond strengthening data and regulation, Ara also stressed the importance of optimising the use of state land for public housing development.
The Ministry of PKP continues to coordinate with the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency (ATR/BPN), the Forest Area Enforcement Task Force (PKH) and other relevant ministries and agencies so that state assets with potential can be optimally utilised for the public interest.
He said various schemes, including cooperation with the private sector through corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes, are continuously being studied to support housing provision for the public.
In the meeting with the DEN Chair, Ara also said the government is preparing a simultaneous contract signing for 62,000 subsidised homes across Indonesia on 30 July 2026 in Batam, as part of efforts to broaden public access to decent housing.
Then, in December, the government is targeting contract signings for another 71,000 subsidised homes nationally, centred in East Java, to accelerate the fulfilment of people’s housing needs.
Ara also said the People’s Business Credit (KUR) for Housing is a new breakthrough driving financing in the housing sector, after the government raised its quota from Rp36 trillion to Rp50 trillion.
According to Ara, the housing sector has a multiplier effect on the economy because it mobilises hundreds of supporting industries, such as roof tiles, bricks, glass, paint and banking, while absorbing large amounts of labour.