Bappenas Affirms Digital Transformation Key to Improving Accuracy of Social Assistance and National Data Sovereignty

The Minister for National Development Planning/Head of Bappenas, Rachmat Pambudy, emphasised that accelerating government digital transformation is a fundamental step to improving the accuracy of social assistance (bansos) distribution, while simultaneously strengthening national data sovereignty. 

“Strengthening data governance has become an urgent necessity, given that the accuracy of distribution for four major social assistance programmes continued to decline between 2020 and 2023. According to Susenas data, average accuracy in 2023 reached only 41.5 per cent, far below the 57 per cent target. This condition indicates persistently high levels of inclusion and exclusion errors that must be addressed immediately,” said Minister Rachmat at the National-Level Socialisation of the Social Assistance Digitalisation Pilot at the Ministry of Home Affairs Office in Jakarta on Thursday (4 December).

To address these challenges, the government is pushing for comprehensive reform of the national data system. One of its key foundations is the implementation of a single data entry and a single identity number, whereby each individual has only one verified data record that reflects their identity and characteristics. This system serves as a prerequisite before the government advances to the next stage of policy strengthening. Minister Rachmat further stressed that data management must be carried out through continuous monitoring, evaluation, and improvement. Accordingly, Indonesia needs to build a single data entry and single identity number ecosystem as an integral part of national programmes, both for social assistance distribution and for cross-sectoral policymaking.

In orchestrating national data integration, the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas plays a coordinating role in ensuring secure and integrated data exchange governance. Digital transformation is also reinforced through the development of a national targeting system linked to the national payment system. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) has become an important instrument to prevent identity falsification and identity switching, as practised in various developed countries.

As a concrete step, the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas, through the One Data Indonesia initiative, has established data exchange governance through the Regulation of the Minister of National Development Planning/Head of Bappenas Number 7 of 2025 on the Sharing and Use of the National Socio-Economic Data System (DTSEN), and has provided a digital portal for data exchange without the need for repeated cooperation agreements. 

Minister Rachmat underlined that digital transformation, strengthened population data, and cross-agency system integration are the foundations of a sovereign and advanced Indonesia. “This is a major step, a strategic step, and a historic step that marks a new chapter in the realisation of data sovereignty,” he concluded.