BSKDN urges regions to strengthen innovation for economic growth

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Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Policy Strategy Agency for Domestic Affairs (BSKDN) of the Ministry of Home Affairs has called on regional governments to strengthen cross-sector collaboration and optimize regional innovation to accelerate economic growth.

The effort is considered essential to transforming regional potential into sources of productivity, higher incomes, and improved public welfare.

“We need to align our direction that innovation must become part of how government works. An adaptive ecosystem allows regions to respond to change, an inclusive approach ensures benefits reach various groups, while sustainability ensures innovation keeps running beyond changes of personnel and leadership,” Acting Head of BSKDN Raden Gani Muhamad said in a statement received in Jakarta on Friday.

Raden Gani made the remarks at the 2026 Gelar Orientasi dan Apresiasi (Gelora) Inovasi Kalbar event, organized by the West Kalimantan Provincial Government through its Regional Development Planning, Research and Innovation Agency (Bapperida) at the One-Stop Integrated Service Building in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, on Wednesday (November 11).

The event, themed “Strengthening Collaboration, Nurturing Sustainable, Adaptive and Inclusive Innovation,” served as an opportunity to reinforce regional governments’ commitment to building an innovation ecosystem capable of addressing development challenges.

In his presentation, Gani emphasized that innovation should not be understood merely as the creation of new programs or applications.

Rather, innovation needs to become an integral part of regional government work systems to deliver more effective and efficient public services and provide tangible benefits to the community.

He explained that West Kalimantan has significant opportunities to develop innovation across various strategic sectors, including agriculture, the processing industry, trade, and the development of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Innovation in these sectors is expected to increase the added value of leading regional products while expanding economic activities within communities.

According to data presented at the event, West Kalimantan’s economy grew by 5.61 percent in the second quarter of 2026, exceeding national economic growth of 5.29 percent.

However, the growth rate slowed from 6.14 percent in the previous quarter.

This situation highlights the need for strategic measures to maintain economic growth momentum through increased productivity, stronger investment, improved supply chains, and public service innovation.

“Innovations must be chosen based on their ability to resolve these obstacles and produce measurable change,” he said.

Gani emphasized that innovation is an important strategy for regional governments in dealing with limited fiscal capacity.

He said budget efficiency should not come at the expense of the quality of public services.

Instead, these constraints should encourage regional governments to improve business processes, integrate services, and make better use of available resources.

In terms of increasing regional own-source revenue, West Kalimantan has introduced several innovations, including e-Samsat Kalbar, e-Ponti in Pontianak City, e-PAKATAN in Sambas Regency, and SAPALA in Landak Regency.

These initiatives could serve as a foundation for expanding access to tax services, improving data management, and increasing public compliance.

However, Gani stressed that the success of innovation should not be measured solely by the number of applications or programs developed. It must also be demonstrated through improvements in service quality, cost efficiency, and the economic benefits generated.

He also called for stronger collaboration among regional governments, universities, businesses, and the public.

In this regard, Bapperida is expected to play a strategic role in connecting government needs with available knowledge, technology, and partnership opportunities.