Indonesia Seeks Village Development Partnership with Kuwait

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – Indonesia is looking to strengthen rural development by inviting Kuwait to collaborate on programs that enhance village potential and human resources.

Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions (Kemendes PDT) Yandri Susanto expressed the hope for concrete cooperation during a meeting with Kuwait’s Ambassador Khalid Jassim Alyassin in Jakarta on Thursday, August 27, 2026.

“We hope there will be concrete cooperation on how we nurture villages in Indonesia, both in terms of their potential and human resources,” Minister Yandri said, as quoted by Antara.

He noted that Indonesia has 75,266 villages, each with unique strengths. To harness these, Kemendes PDT has launched 12 initiatives, including the Merah Putih Village Cooperatives, Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDes), export-oriented villages, and tourism villages.

Despite these efforts, Minister Yandri acknowledged that many villages still need improved facilities for worship, education, healthcare, and human resource development.

The minister emphasized that villages play a central role in national priorities, as President Prabowo Subianto has placed rural development in the sixth pillar of his Asta Cita (Eight Visions) agenda -- building from the bottom up to achieve economic equity and reduce poverty. He expressed hope for formal cooperation with Kuwait and its associations to support these goals.

Ambassador Alyassin highlighted the long-standing ties between Indonesia and Kuwait, established in 1968, and called for stronger collaboration. He explained that Kuwait has organizations that raise funds domestically to support welfare projects abroad, including aid for orphans, building Islamic boarding schools and mosques, and providing boats for fishermen to secure sustainable livelihoods. ***