Minister of Cooperatives Officially Opens KDKMP Manager Training

The Ministry of Cooperatives (Kemenkop) has officially commenced a training and certification programme for prospective managers of the Merah Putih Village/Subdistrict Cooperatives (KDKMP) simultaneously across Indonesia. The launch of this training marks a concrete step by the government in preparing superior human resources (HR) who will manage a new economic ecosystem at the village level. The opening ceremony was centred at the Field Artillery Education Centre (Pusdik Armed) in Cimahi, West Java, on Thursday (16/7), and was officially opened by the Minister of Cooperatives, Ferry Juliantono. This training is the second phase after the participants previously underwent character building and state defence education facilitated by the Ministry of Defence. “This training is not merely about improving technical competence, but about preparing the front line to carry out the mandate of Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution through the Merah Putih Village/Subdistrict Cooperatives,” Ferry said in a statement on Friday (17/7/2026). Ferry emphasised that this training is part of a series of HR development for KDKMP. After completing the managerial competency strengthening phase, participants will proceed to the third phase, namely competency certification. Through these three phases, the government ensures that every KDKMP manager possesses the character, competence, and professionalism required to manage the cooperative. “This is a historic task. The Merah Putih Village/Subdistrict Cooperatives are a state movement that must be maintained because their purpose is very noble,” he asserted. According to Ferry, the success of KDKMP also lies in the hands of the prospective managers who serve as the operational front line in the field. “What we are pioneering today must be continued. There will certainly be challenges and obstacles along the way, but the grand purpose of this struggle must overcome all those challenges. Therefore, do not give up easily and stay focused on the grand mission of building the village economy through cooperatives,” he said. He added that besides equipping participants with the spirit of state defence, discipline, cooperative governance, and financial management, the government is also strengthening soft skills, especially communication, leadership, and the ability to collaborate with administrators, supervisors, and the village community. “We want KDKMP managers to be not only technically proficient but also able to build good communication, lead a team, and interact with the village community. These soft skills will greatly determine the success of the Merah Putih Village/Subdistrict Cooperatives’ operations,” Ferry said. Furthermore, he stressed that managers who graduate from this training must have high professional standards. This is because KDKMP will play a strategic role as managers of subsidised goods distribution, providers of microfinance services, and aggregators of local MSME products. “We want to produce managers who are accountable, professional, and adaptive. The success of the cooperatives’ operations in the villages depends heavily on the managerial competencies that you learn during this training,” he added. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Cooperatives’ Deputy for Talent Development and Cooperative Competitiveness, Destry Anna Sari, explained that this competency strengthening programme is being attended by tens of thousands of participants spread across 15 training commands, six educational units, and 451 classes throughout Indonesia. Over 13 days, from 17 to 31 July 2026, the prospective managers will undergo 90 hours of intensive training covering cooperative governance, financial management, digitalisation, entrepreneurship, soft skills, and leadership strengthening. “Additionally, the utilisation of Talent DNA to strengthen integrity, leadership, and the readiness of managers to manage KDKMP professionally,” Destry explained. Destry added that the training will conclude with a competency certification test based on the standards of the National Professional Certification Agency (BNSP). Separately, ESQ Group founder Ary Ginanjar Agustian emphasised the importance of talent management for the 30,000 Sarjana Penggerak Pembangunan Indonesia (SPPI) graduates being prepared to become KDKMP managers. He noted that managing this potential is key to building the foundation of a people’s economy. “This talent management process will shape the prospective KDKMP managers through three crucial stages, namely building the ability to know oneself, understand one’s potential, and recognise one’s strengths in managing their work environment at the village or subdistrict level,” he said.