Transmigration Ministry Shifts Focus to Papua to Address Infrastructure Backlog
JAKARTA - The development of transmigration areas in 2026 will be focused on the Papua region.
Transmigration Minister M Iftitah Sulaiman Suryanagara stated that this is part of the government’s strategic measures to accelerate development and enhance community welfare in eastern Indonesia.
“Why Papua? This is also a final decision for 2026, considering the President’s focus on welfare development in Papua,” he said, quoted on Monday (20/04/2026).
Collaboration between the government, universities, and communities is key to inclusive development in Papua.
In the Land of the Bird of Paradise, there will be 10 transmigration areas to be developed.
“There are 8 clusters, one of which is poverty alleviation, job provision, and also increasing community income. We will focus on the 10 transmigration areas in Papua,” Iftitah explained.
Nevertheless, the Transmigration Ministry will continue to develop transmigration areas in central and western Indonesia.
To support this, the Transmigration Ministry is allocating 35 percent of its budget for the revitalisation of basic infrastructure in 154 transmigration areas.
In 2026, the Transmigration Ministry has an indicative budget allocation of Rp 1.902 trillion.
“Therefore, the Patriot Expedition will not involve much research this year, but rather the application of people’s needs such as basic infrastructure and derivatives from the National Priority Work Programme (PKPN),” Iftitah clarified.
The Patriot Expedition programme has already gained recognition among academic circles.
In the initial launch phase of the Patriot Expedition, the Transmigration Ministry partnered with 7 renowned Indonesian universities, including Universitas Indonesia (UI), IPB University, Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), Universitas Diponegoro (UNDIP), Universitas Padjajaran (UNPAD), and Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM).
“So now, besides the 7 main partners, we have an additional 3 universities joining the Transmigration Patriot programme, namely Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR), Universitas Brawijaya, and Universitas Hasanuddin,” Iftitah revealed.
On the other hand, the Patriot Scholarship programme for master’s and doctoral levels, which was planned to be launched this year, has reportedly been postponed. This delay is due to fiscal limitations and economic conditions.
“We can say that it is very likely this scholarship programme will be postponed and not implemented this year, considering the budget we have will be directly allocated and implemented for the immediate needs of the people,” Iftitah stated.