“Poverty alleviation cannot be assessed solely from the social perspective,” Deputy for Coordination of Community Economic Empowerment and Migrant Worker Protection at the ministry Leontinus Alpha Edison said in Jakarta on Thursday.
It also needs to be seen from an empowerment perspective, especially economic empowerment, he added.
The Empowered Pioneer Program aims to reduce the percentage of extremely poor in the country.
“The target is our citizens living in extreme poverty. The hope is that within the next two years, extreme poverty can be reduced to zero percent. We also hope that they can graduate from the program, ultimately become empowered, and even, self-reliant,” he informed.
Edison said that the program has four pillars, the first two are empowering together (capacity building) and empowering businesses to improve access for entrepreneurs, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), the creative economy, and cooperatives.
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The third pillar is inclusive financing and the last is global empowerment.
To support the program’s implementation, the ministry has disseminated information about the program both internally and across relevant ministries/institutions.
“We also conducted a pilot last week in Bandung, targeting small and medium enterprises. We invited mentors from the private sector, and the results were quite positive. Many participants said the program was very helpful,” Edison said.
Presidential Instruction Number 8 of 2025 on optimizing the implementation of poverty alleviation and the elimination of extreme poverty provides the legal basis for the Empowered Pioneer Program.
The instruction mandates efforts to reduce household expenses, increase income, empower the economy, and reduce poverty.
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Translator: Yoanita Hastryka Djohan
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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