Jokowi gives nod to final batch of marquee projects – 4 May 2017

• Entering the second half of his leadership tenure, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has approved various development projects that will become final additions to the current administration’s list of national strategic projects.
• Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution claims that President Jokowi recently approved 55 new projects and one program to the existing list. The addition brings the total to 245 strategic projects and two programs needing an estimated investment of more than IDR4000tr (USD300.4bn) to complete.
• A little over a year after his inauguration as the country’s seventh president in Oct 14, Jokowi issued Presidential Decree (Perpres) No. 3/2016 and Presidential Instruction (Inpres) No. 1/2016, which identify a list of 225 national strategic projects that include, among others, 47 highway projects, five national non-toll roads, 12 railway projects, 11 airport revitalisation works and construction of four new airports.
• Since then, 20 projects worth IDR33.5tr have been completed, while 15 projects worth IDR40.5tr have been cut out of the list of national strategic projects.
• New additions to the list consist of 45 multi-sectoral projects, seven toll road projects, three railway projects and one aircraft construction program. Darmin confirmed that the new projects would be the final batch added onto the list, as instructed by the President, whose tenure expires in Oct 19.
• Infrastructure development has been an important feature of Jokowi’s administration, with a majority of the projects intended to increase connectivity and create added value.
• Since the beginning of 2017, the administration has buckled down to review its projects and President Jokowi has held 22 meetings to discuss projects in each province with his relevant ministers and other stakeholders.
• In his opening remarks, Jokowi said that the infrastructure developments were on track, with more than 40% of the national strategic projects planned by his administration undergoing construction. Another 37% of the projects, meanwhile, are still in the planning stages, he claimed.
• Moreover, Jokowi also emphasised that the projects on the list must be able to contribute to the local economy, lower the poverty rate, increase welfare and create jobs.

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