By: Dinda Amalia Dewi )*
The government continues to strengthen the role of the Daya Anagata Nusantara Investment Management Agency (Danantara) as the primary instrument for managing national strategic assets. This step is being taken to ensure that state assets are managed professionally, integratedly, and with a long-term focus to support sustainable economic growth.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has positioned Danantara as a key part of the government’s grand strategy to drive national economic transformation. In various bilateral and international agendas, the President emphasized the importance of modern, credible state asset management, capable of driving productive investment, particularly in high-value-added sectors.
In a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Presidential Palace, the President encouraged strengthened investment cooperation in the downstream sector. The government opened up opportunities for Australia to participate in the processing of critical minerals in Indonesia, such as nickel, copper, bauxite, and gold.
At the same time, Indonesia is also encouraging national companies to invest in the critical minerals sector in Australia, thus creating mutually beneficial economic relations.
The President also affirmed Danantara’s readiness to be a strategic partner in exploring various joint investment schemes. The government views Danantara as a state investment vehicle capable of bridging national interests with global partners through co-investment approaches and long-term partnerships.
As a follow-up, Danantara signed a memorandum of understanding with the Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In an official statement, Danantara stated that the agreement establishes a structured collaborative framework to strengthen bilateral investment relations in a sustainable manner.
The collaboration focuses on strengthening partnerships with Australian funding agencies and investment institutions to expand access to financing and deepen two-way investment flows.
In addition to capital mobilization, the collaboration is also aimed at long-term capacity building. Danantara prioritizes human resource development as a key element, through cooperation in education, skills development, and talent exchange. This approach is seen as aligned with the government’s agenda to strengthen the professionalism and productivity of the national workforce in the face of global competition.
Indonesia and Australia’s cooperation also includes exploring investment opportunities in various priority sectors, including infrastructure, energy, mining, healthcare, the digital economy, and food and agribusiness. To ensure effective implementation, both parties have agreed to establish working groups and action plans that will be periodically evaluated.
Amidst global dynamics, the government also demonstrated a swift response to the change in Indonesia’s credit rating outlook by Moody’s. Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, stated that the government would strengthen communication with international markets and rating agencies regarding the role and governance of Danantara. This step is deemed crucial because many global market players still do not fully understand Danantara’s function as a sovereign wealth fund.
Airlangga explained that the government is now clearly differentiating the financing roles between the State Budget (APBN) and Danantara. Long-term investments and strategic asset management are directed through Danantara, while the APBN focuses on financing the President’s priority programs and public services. This separation aims to improve the efficiency of state financial management and maintain fiscal discipline.
The government emphasized that Danantara is built on strong, transparent, and accountable governance principles, in line with best practices in sovereign wealth funds in various countries. This approach is expected to boost investor confidence while encouraging state-owned enterprise reforms to be more flexible, adaptive, and performance-oriented.
On the macroeconomic front, the government also reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining fiscal stability. The budget deficit remains within safe limits, the debt ratio is under control, inflation is stable, and foreign exchange reserves are at a strong level. This solid economic foundation is considered a crucial support for Danantara’s role in optimally managing strategic assets.
Danantara’s strengthened role is also reflected in the acceleration of the downstreaming program. BPI Danantara CEO, Rosan Roeslani, stated that Danantara has begun the first phase of the downstreaming project by conducting groundbreakings for several strategic projects in various locations. Downstreaming is positioned as a priority program by the President due to its direct impact on job creation, increased added value, and economic growth.
Rosan emphasized that the contribution of downstream investment continues to show a significant upward trend. By 2025, investment in this sector will contribute a significant portion to total national investment realization, reflecting the success of government policies in promoting natural resource-based industrialization.
The government views downstreaming as a crucial tool for strengthening the economic structure and reducing dependence on raw material exports. Through Danantara, downstreaming projects are directed to be managed professionally, sustainably, and able to attract global investor participation.
With these various steps, the government affirms its commitment to strengthening Danantara’s role in managing the country’s strategic assets. Danantara is positioned not merely as an investment manager, but as a pillar of national economic transformation, supporting Indonesia’s stability, growth, and global competitiveness.
