One Year Leading Central Java: The Achievements of the Luthfi-Taj Yasin Administration
Central Java Governor Luthfi has celebrated his first year in office by showcasing a series of positive achievements, attributing the province’s progress to collaboration and contributions from various stakeholders, ranging from district and city governments to universities across the region.
In recognition of this effective collaboration, Luthfi presented awards to the best-performing district and city governments as well as universities. The best district/city awards were given to Banyumas Regency, Surakarta City, Boyolali Regency, Pemalang Regency, Magelang City, and Magelang Regency.
Meanwhile, the best university awards went to Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta, Universitas Diponegoro (Undip), Universitas Muria Kudus (UMK), Universitas Islam Negeri (UIN) Walisongo, Universitas Wahid Hasyim (Unwahas), and Universitas Muhammadiyah Purwokerto (UMP).
“A governor is not superman; rather, he must employ a super team to carry out development across our region. A province with 35 districts and cities, and all its various dimensions, requires collaborative government that we must build together,” Luthfi said in a statement on Saturday (21 February 2026).
He made the remarks at the 2026 Collaborative Government Awards ceremony held at the Gradhika Bhakti Praja Building in Semarang on Friday (20 February).
Luthfi emphasised that collaboration with all elements of society is critically important, particularly with universities, both public and private. Over the past year, the Central Java Provincial Government has established partnerships with 44 universities, each contributing ideas, concepts, and research outcomes towards the advancement and welfare of Central Java’s population.
In 2026, a further 73 universities signed memoranda of understanding with the provincial government during the awards ceremony. Beyond these, approximately 123 additional universities are expected to establish partnerships to support development in Central Java.
Through this collaborative approach, Luthfi stated, Central Java achieved several notable milestones during 2025. As a food granary, the province’s rice productivity reached approximately 9.5 million tonnes throughout 2025.
Central Java’s economic growth in 2025 reached 5.37 per cent, exceeding the national average. This was accompanied by a decline in the poverty rate, now recorded at 9.39 per cent, and an open unemployment rate of approximately 4.66 per cent.
The number of poor residents in Central Java as of September 2025 stood at 3.34 million, a decrease of 21,870 compared with March 2025 and a decline of 51,520 compared with September 2024, when the figure was 3.40 million.
Furthermore, Central Java’s investment realisation in 2025 reached Rp88.50 trillion, comprising Rp50.86 trillion in foreign direct investment (PMA) and Rp37.64 trillion in domestic investment (PMDN). This figure represents the highest achievement in the past decade.
From this investment total, 105,078 projects were realised, creating employment for 418,138 workers.
“One of the types of investment we are pursuing is labour-intensive, aimed at reducing the open unemployment rate, though we are not closing the door to capital-intensive investment either,” Luthfi said.
Regarding investment, the provincial government has also urged district and city governments to provide incentives to investors who have contributed to the region, including tax relaxation, particularly for investments that prioritise the green economy.