Minister of Transmigration supports Rp88 trillion digital investment in Batam, prepares high-integrity workforce

Minister of Transmigration of the Republic of Indonesia, Muhammad Iftitah Sulaiman Suryanagara, has voiced support for large-scale digital and artificial intelligence (AI) investments in Batam, Riau Islands, amounting to approximately Rp88 trillion.

The AI Data Centre project in the Nongsa area is seen as a key opportunity to strengthen Batam’s position as one of Indonesia’s future digital and technology economic hubs.

According to Iftitah, economic development must not only focus on investment figures but also create jobs, welfare, and hope for the public.

‘Investments must deliver tangible benefits to the people. What matters most is not the value of the investment, but how much benefit it brings to the community,’ he said in a written statement on Tuesday 26 May 2026.

He stressed that the Ministry of Transmigration is ready to support workforce preparation through training programs to enhance capacity, skills, work discipline, and integrity.

‘We must ensure Indonesians, especially the youth, can be part of the global digital economy transformation. Therefore, competence and integrity must go hand in hand,’ he added.

Iftitah explained that transmigration communities include not only transmigrants but also residents in transmigration areas and surrounding regions. Thus, investments must generate broad economic impacts for the community.

‘If transmigration communities — not just transmigrants but also local residents — are absorbed into jobs from the investment, the multiplier effect will be significant. Unemployment will decrease, household incomes will rise, and poverty can be curbed,’ he said.

He added that this is a concrete implementation of Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution, as directed by the President, that economic development must maximise public welfare.

‘Those who benefit from development should not only be entrepreneurs and investors, but also local communities,’ he stressed.

Iftitah also praised Batam’s leadership for successfully building investor confidence and fostering optimism about Batam’s future as a national digital economic hub.