GRESIK, East Java-President Prabowo Subianto announced an ambitious plan for his government to launch 30 mega investment projects in 2025. These giant projects are expected to become the driving force of the Indonesian economy, create millions of employment, and improve the welfare of the community. This statement was delivered by Prabowo while attending the inauguration of PT Freeport Indonesia’s gold purification smelter in Gresik, East Java, on Monday, February 17, 2025.
“We have decided to start approximately 30 major projects starting this year,” Prabowo said with enthusiasm. Initially, this plan only covered 20 to 21 projects, but after evaluating the capacity and potential, the number was increased to 30 projects. “We see the ability and the possibility of reaching almost 30 projects, which are quite large,” he added.
Focus on the agricultural and fisheries sectors
Prabowo stressed that the agricultural and fisheries sector will be a top priority in this mega project. According to him, these two sectors have a strategic role in producing state foreign exchange and absorbing large amounts of labor. “Investment in the agricultural and fisheries sector is very important for Indonesia because in addition to producing foreign exchange, it is also labor intensive,” he explained.
The President is also optimistic that these projects will be able to create more jobs than the number of unemployment today. Data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) as of February 2024 recorded that there were 7.2 million unemployed in Indonesia. Prabowo promised that 30 mega projects would provide around 8 million new jobs. “Our estimate, this investment program can create approximately 8 million jobs,” he said.
Positive impact on the national economy
Prabowo said that the current government is very optimistic about the development of the Indonesian economy. He said that Indonesia has abundant natural resources, which must be managed well for the welfare of the people. “Now it is our duty and obligation to manage these resources as well as possible, with good governance (good governance), transparency, and accountability,” he said.
The mega project is expected not only to have an impact on economic growth, but also on equitable development. These projects will spread from the strategic upstream to downstream sectors which are directly in contact with the community.