Indonesia launches DEAL 2026 to accelerate digital transformation

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs on Tuesday launched the Digital Ecosystem Alignment (DEAL) 2026 initiative, bringing together government agencies, businesses, academics, investors, startups, and communities to accelerate the country's digital transformation.

The initiative is designed to strengthen collaboration across Indonesia's digital ecosystem and ensure digital growth delivers broader economic benefits, Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Meutya Hafid said in Jakarta.

"Digital Ecosystem Alignment is a movement of unity, a collective movement, a movement of solidarity for the entire digital ecosystem in the country," Meutya said.

The program aims to achieve three key objectives: accelerating digital transformation, improving productivity, and safeguarding the sustainability of the digital ecosystem, she added.

Through DEAL 2026, the ministry and its partners unveiled eight collaboration packages covering telecommunications connectivity and industry value creation, digital consumer protection, digital innovation and technopreneurship, and the development of a healthy and secure digital ecosystem.

The packages also include strengthening the national startup ecosystem, fostering collaboration on a national artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem, expanding digital inclusion and adoption of emerging technologies, and improving logistics cost efficiency.

Meutya said stronger solidarity and cooperation among stakeholders were essential to prevent fragmented efforts and ensure digital growth contributes meaningfully to the economy.

"Mutual cooperation is necessary in building a digital ecosystem. If we move separately, the digital ecosystem can become fragmented, and the economic growth we expect may not be achieved," she said.

Several projects under the initiative are already underway, including the use of Internet of Things (IoT) technology for farmer groups and fish cultivators in Sleman, Banjarnegara, and Lamongan Districts.

Other programs include practical AI training for 100 to 150 micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Wonogiri and Banyuwangi districts, development of the DARA feature to help mitigate gaming addiction risks among children, and the creation of an Ecosystem Dashboard as a national single source of truth for digital data.

Director General of Digital Ecosystem Edwin Hidayat Abdullah said Indonesia was entering a major transformation phase driven by advances in AI, the expansion of the data economy, and shifts in the global economic landscape.

Those developments require a strong and sustainable national digital ecosystem capable of supporting long-term growth, he said.

"Digital transformation cannot be completed by the government alone, cannot be driven by industry alone, and will not succeed without active public participation," Edwin said.

He said DEAL 2026 was built on three pillars: alignment of interests, shared responsibility, and nation prosperity.

The first pillar seeks to ensure that digital economic growth benefits society broadly rather than a limited group of stakeholders.

The second emphasizes the shared responsibilities of government, academia, industry, and communities in building the national digital ecosystem.

The third pillar focuses on ensuring that digital economic growth contributes to more equitable prosperity and improved public welfare across Indonesia.

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Translator: Farhan Arda Nugraha, Martha Herlinawati Simanjunta

Editor: Rahmad Nasution

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