Ministry Assesses Samota SEZ as Potential New Investment Magnet in Eastern Indonesia
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Ministry of Investment and Downstreaming/Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) has assessed that the proposed Samota (Saleh-Moyo-Tambora) Special Economic Zone (KEK) in Sumbawa Regency, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), has the potential to become a new investment magnet for the tourism and blue economy sectors in Eastern Indonesia.
Deputy Minister of Investment and Downstreaming Todotua Pasaribu stated that to realise this, the area’s development must be supported by a ready investment ecosystem, ranging from land certainty and infrastructure to the presence of investors prepared to realise their commitments.
‘The proposal for the Samota KEK must be placed in a broader context. This area must be able to become an instrument to optimise regional advantages while supporting the direction of national investment policy, which focuses on productive sectors, including tourism, the blue economy, the green economy, the creative industry, agro-maritime, as well as strengthening connectivity and logistics,’ Todotua said in a written statement on Sunday (26/7/2026).
According to Todotua, the proposal for the Samota KEK aims not only to present a new tourist destination but also to build an investment area capable of creating economic added value, attracting long-term investment, and opening quality jobs for the community. He explained that investment is one of the main drivers of national economic growth. The government is targeting investment realisation of around Rp 13,032.8 trillion for the 2025-2029 period to support Indonesia’s economic growth target of 8 percent by 2029.
As of the first semester of 2026, national investment realisation reached Rp 1,040.6 trillion, or 49.5 percent of the 2026 target of Rp 2,041.3 trillion. This achievement has also absorbed more than 1.4 million workers, with an increasingly even distribution of investment, as 50.2 percent of realisation occurred outside Java.
Todotua explained that West Nusa Tenggara Province holds an increasingly strategic position on the national investment map. During the 2021 to second quarter of 2026 period, investment realisation in NTB reached approximately Rp 216.7 trillion. Meanwhile, in the first semester of 2025 alone, investment realisation in the province reached Rp 32.9 trillion, indicating a continuously increasing investment appeal. Specifically for the tourism sector, cumulative investment realisation from 2023 to the first semester of 2026 reached Rp 190 trillion. NTB is also among the top five provinces for investment destinations in that sector. The development of the Samota area is also supported by the establishment of a West Nusa Tenggara Provincial Regulation concerning the Provincial Spatial Plan for 2024-2044. According to Todotua, Sumbawa Regency possesses strong capital to develop as a new investment area.