The 2026 National Dialogue reflected a significant shift in Indonesia's development paradigm. The government no longer views universities merely as educational institutions but as strategic partners capable of generating innovations that can be translated into products, technologies, and public policies with direct impacts on society and economic growth. This perspective was consistently emphasized throughout the presentations, which encouraged greater involvement of higher education institutions in applied research, technological development, and implementation across the industrial, agricultural, energy, maritime, and healthcare sectors.

The discussions also highlighted that achieving the national target of 8 percent economic growth as part of the vision for Golden Indonesia 2045 will require integrated efforts across all sectors. In the fields of economics and finance, Indonesia aims to become one of the world's five largest economies by 2045, supported by relatively strong economic fundamentals, including 5.61 percent economic growth, 3.08 percent inflation, 72 consecutive months of trade surplus, and foreign exchange reserves totaling USD 144.9 billion. These achievements provide a strong foundation for promoting investment, industrialization, and national competitiveness.

In agriculture, the government highlighted Indonesia's achievement of rice self-sufficiency by the end of 2025, with national rice reserves reaching approximately 5.17 million tons, the highest level in the country's history. Modern agricultural transformation through mechanization, drone technology, and the Precision Modern Agriculture (PM-AAS) system has reportedly reduced production costs by up to 50 percent while increasing productivity by up to 100 percent, with the potential to produce more than 10 tons of unhusked rice per hectare. At the same time, fertilizer industry revitalization has been supported through a 20 percent reduction in subsidized fertilizer prices, the addition of 700,000 tons of subsidized fertilizer, and the construction of seven new fertilizer plants, demonstrating that agricultural modernization is intended to improve farmers' welfare while strengthening national food security.

In the energy sector, one of the greatest challenges remains Indonesia's heavy dependence on imported energy. Current domestic oil production stands at approximately 605,000 barrels per day, while national consumption has reached around 1.6 million barrels per day. To address this gap, the government is reactivating idle oil and gas wells, offering 118 new oil and gas blocks for development, expanding bioethanol production toward E20 fuel, maintaining the biodiesel program, and targeting a 76 percent renewable energy mix in PLN's 2025–2034 Electricity Supply Business Plan (RUPTL). These initiatives demonstrate that energy self-sufficiency is being pursued not only by increasing production but also through energy diversification and domestic technological development.

Downstream industrial development was identified as another key driver of economic growth. Investment realization in 2025 reached approximately IDR 1,931 trillion, creating around 2.7 million jobs, while downstream investment increased by more than 43 percent. Nickel downstream processing alone increased export value from approximately USD 3.3 billion to USD 33.9 billion, further strengthening Indonesia's position as the holder of approximately 42 percent of the world's nickel reserves. Looking ahead, the government also plans to expand downstream processing for coconuts, seaweed, and other strategic commodities to ensure greater value-added production remains within Indonesia.

Another recurring message throughout the dialogue was the importance of reducing Indonesia's dependence on imports in sectors such as food, energy, technology, and industrial raw materials. This strategy is not intended as an anti-globalization stance but rather as an effort to strengthen national competitiveness and enhance Indonesia's bargaining position within the evolving global geopolitical landscape. Initiatives such as the establishment of Danantara, the development of the domestic semiconductor industry, national electric vehicle production, artificial intelligence (AI), and pharmaceutical manufacturing all reflect broader efforts to strengthen Indonesia's technological independence.

Importantly, economic development within the 2026 Indonesian Science, Technology, and Industry Convention (KSTI) was viewed as extending beyond investment and gross domestic product growth. Culture was recognized as both the foundation of national identity and a strategic instrument for diplomacy and the creative economy. Indonesia's extraordinary cultural wealth—including approximately 1,340 ethnic groups, 718 regional languages, more than 49,000 potential cultural heritage sites, and 2,727 items of Intangible Cultural Heritage—was identified as both a valuable social asset and a source of sustainable economic growth through culture and tourism.

A similar approach was presented in the maritime and fisheries sector through the concept of the Blue Economy. As the world's second-largest fisheries producer, Indonesia records fisheries exports worth approximately USD 6.2 billion. The government has established five major Blue Economy policies, including marine conservation, regulated fishing, sustainable aquaculture development, and efforts to reduce marine plastic waste. In addition, downstream seaweed processing is being promoted to produce biomaterials, functional foods, and bioplastics, rather than exporting seaweed solely as a raw commodity.

A global perspective was provided by Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, who emphasized that geopolitical shifts, advances in artificial intelligence (AI), the global energy transition, and climate change will become defining factors for future development. According to him, the world is moving toward a multipolar order characterized by the rise of China, India, and Russia, while AI, electric vehicles, and digital technologies will increasingly determine a country's competitiveness. He noted that Indonesia has significant potential to become a global leader in sustainable development if it successfully integrates technological innovation, investment, education, and policies aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Nevertheless, many of the ambitious targets presented during the dialogue still require consistent implementation, measurable performance indicators, and transparent evaluation. The greatest challenge is no longer formulating a vision but ensuring effective coordination among ministries, businesses, local governments, universities, and communities so that strategic programs move beyond policy discussions and generate tangible improvements in public welfare.

Overall, the 2026 National Dialogue conveyed a clear message that Indonesia's self-reliance cannot be achieved by any single sector alone. Success in realizing Golden Indonesia 2045 will depend on close collaboration among the government, universities, industry, and society in advancing innovation, strengthening downstream industries, improving human resource quality, and maintaining a balance between economic growth, environmental sustainability, and the preservation of Indonesia's cultural heritage.

Within this vision, universities play a central role as generators of knowledge, innovation, and technology capable of addressing national development needs, ensuring that research outcomes extend beyond academic publications to become practical solutions for the nation's progress.

Written by:

Ir. Ikhsan Siregar, S.T., M.Eng., Ph.D.
Secretary of the University
Universitas Sumatera Utara