Southeast Asia’s biggest economy highlights India as DPI leader

The largest country in Southeast Asia and the most populous, with the region’s biggest economy, Indonesia has serious ambitions when it comes to digital public infrastructure and transformation, although it faces challenges of implementation.

To help it on its way, the Indonesian government’s Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs, Meutya Hafid, stressed the importance of international cooperation in president Prabowo Subianto’s ongoing digital transformation mission. And one country was highlighted in particular.

“Government digitization is no longer an option, but rather an urgent need,” Meutya said, when meeting with Indian ambassador Sandeep Chakravorty. “Indonesia is ready to collaborate with India to adopt and adapt cutting-edge technology, especially in digital identity development,” she continued.

The minister expressed appreciation for India’s willingness to share learnings related to the implementation of Aadhaar, which is the world’s largest national digital identity program. Meutya noted that a similar system in Indonesia would provide a foundation for enhancing Indonesia’s public services, government transparency and efficiency.

“Indonesia not only needs technology but also proven strategies for success,” she said, as reported by a local news agency. “This cooperation must produce concrete solutions for Indonesia.” Meutya said the hope is that cooperation with India would cover the development of digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, and human resource capacity-building.

“The bilateral relations between the two countries have proven to be solid and mutually beneficial. Now is the time to advance further and drive significant change in this digital era,” she said. Last month, the country launched its first sovereign AI data center as part of a big AI push on its digital transformation journey.

Article Topics

digital government  |  digital ID  |  digital inclusion  |  digital public infrastructure  |  financial inclusion  |  India  |  Indonesia