In an official statement cited here on Thursday, Baznas Deputy Head Mokhamad Mahdum noted that the agency has been striving to optimize these funds in an innovative and professional manner to empower both their collectors and beneficiaries and achieve Islamic sustainable development goals.
He emphasized that Islamic philanthropic funds, including zakat, are not merely instruments for dispersing wealth and assets but also serve as strategic tools for sustainably empowering the people's economy.
Mahdum affirmed that Baznas has devised the National Zakat Index to assess and evaluate the performance of its alms management and pursue constant improvements.
"Presently, the score of zakat literacy among Indonesians stands at 74.83, falling into a medium-level category. For this reason, we have continued to intensify educational activities and dissemination to build people's awareness about the importance of alms," he remarked.
Mahdum further highlighted that his agency aims to digitize almsgiving services by collaborating with 24 banks, providers of commercial and non-commercial software or applications, social media platforms, and online shopping platforms.
He also said that Baznas has leveraged artificial intelligence to develop and manage the Zakat Virtual Assistant and Voice Command Zakat Assistant.
"The digitization of alms management has led to improved efficiency and transparency. Over the past 10 years, the amount of alms collected digitally has risen by 202.5 percent on average," he stated.
The official then noted that the funds his agency manages have also been utilized to support various programs across sectors, including those intended to empower micro, small, and medium enterprises; creative economic businesses; and farmers.
To raise public trust, he remarked that the agency conducted independent audits annually, received an unqualified opinion from the Supreme Audit Board (BPK), and devised the Baznas Management Information System (Simba).
Translator: Sean Filo, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
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