Transmigration Minister Invites Peking University to Help Develop Indonesia’s Transmigration Areas

Transmigration Minister Muhammad Iftitah Sulaiman Suryanagara has invited the Institute of South-South Cooperation and Development (ISSCAD) and Peking University in China to conduct research to help develop Indonesia’s transmigration areas. Iftitah said Peking University was interested in working together.

“I welcome the opportunity to build a practical partnership with ISSCAD and Peking University,” Iftitah said at Peking University in Beijing on Monday (12 October 2026).

Iftitah said Peking University was interested in carrying out research in Indonesia’s transmigration areas. The research is expected to help advance these areas.

“We told them about this at Peking University, and one of the professors said they were also interested in conducting research in transmigration areas and helping empower the communities there,” he said.

The Ministry of Transmigration has also partnered with a university in Germany. Its academics have helped find solutions to problems in transmigration areas.

“We have already partnered with an international university. Just last week, we saw off students and professors from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in Germany. It is Germany’s equivalent of ITB, one of the best universities in Germany and the world, ranked among the top 25,” he said.

Iftitah said TUM academics had helped address problems in the Rempang Transmigration Area in the Riau Islands. He said the German academics had been enthusiastic about carrying out research in transmigration areas.

“They came to help the local community, not just to conduct research, but also to provide practical solutions that could be put into use immediately. For example, in Rempang the soil is prone to landslides, so they planted vegetation to help stabilise it,” he said.

“They also looked at waste management, community issues and how to develop the marine tourism economy. They were very enthusiastic. I was moved when they said goodbye on Saturday night: they were crying and deeply touched, as if they had been there for a long time, even though they had spent only two weeks in the transmigration area,” he said.