President Jokowi Inaugurates AMANAH Building, Encourages Increase in Value of Aceh’s Local Commodities and Economy
Banda Aceh – President Joko Widodo inaugurated the AMANAH (Aneuk Muda Aceh Unggul Hebat) building, which was initiated to encourage local economic growth in Aceh. The AMANAH building, initiated by the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), is expected to become a center of innovation for young people in Aceh in the creative economy sector, especially in the fashion, technology, and other leading products such as coffee and patchouli sectors.
In his remarks, President Jokowi expressed his admiration for the creativity of Aceh’s youth. “I am truly proud of the innovation, the creativity of the youth in Aceh. Whether it is in fashion, especially Muslim fashion, the designs are truly classy,” said the President. Jokowi also highlighted the quality of MSME products under AMANAH, such as bags that are produced with quality that is not inferior to world brands. “Goods as good as that are sold for 600 thousand. The workmanship is very neat, the design and size are very good. I think the price should be increased,” he added.
Head of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), Prof. Dr. Budi Gunawan, also expressed his appreciation for President Jokowi’s initiative in economic development in Aceh. “AMANAH Youth Creative Hub is the fruit of the President’s thoughts on young people in Aceh. This shows his love for young people, both in the East and West of Indonesia,” he explained. Budi Gunawan also highlighted the positive impact of this program, which has involved more than 20 thousand young people in Aceh.
Superior products such as patchouli and Aceh coffee also received special attention in this inauguration. According to Budi Gunawan, patchouli from Aceh has become the mainstay of world perfume producers, with buyers from France. “The quality of Aceh patchouli is the best in the world. Large perfume producers rely heavily on patchouli from Aceh, and specifically at AMANAH, the buyers already exist and the market goes directly to France as the world’s perfume center,” he said. In addition, Aceh coffee has now succeeded in penetrating the international market, including Korea and Japan. “With the presence of AMANAH, Aceh coffee can live again with markets for Korea and Japan,” he added.
In addition to commodity products, AMANAH also supports the development of technology in Aceh. Some technologies developed by young people under AMANAH include smart agriculture, electric vehicles, and robotics. “Export-quality agriculture with smart agriculture methods is also developing here, and the results can meet the Free Nutritious Meal program from Pak Prabowo and Mas Gibran,” explained Budi Gunawan.
President Jokowi expressed his hope that the AMANAH program will continue to be sustainable and bring great benefits to the Aceh economy. “The economy in Aceh Province will increase drastically,” he concluded.
