IDF 2018 Marketplace of Ideas and Innovations: Gathering Innovators from Across the Nation

Situation at Marketplace of Ideas and Innovation

Jakarta, July 11, 2018 - Hundreds of people were swarming the Marketplace of Ideas and Innovations, Indonesia Development Forum 2018, which was held in Grand Mutiara 1 and 2, Ritz Carlton Hotel Kuningan, Jakarta. Visitors seeked to listen to inspirational and best practices from innovators from around the country.

As many as 84 innovators were sharing their cutting-edge ideas on how to address disparity in Indonesia. One of the participants, a social entrepreneur and Founder of Walibu, Herlina Yawang, came to the event to sell Papuan traditional bags known as noken.

“Noken has been recognized by UNESCO, but somehow it is not sold in the most attractive manner. They are sold on the sidewalk, or even on the boats. We are trying to offer social media platform as a solution: Walibu, for more extended sale coverage and reachability,” Herlina explained during interview on Wednesday, July 11, 2018.

Another inspirational story was shared by the Director of CIS Timor, Haris Oematan, who introduced a cultivation method to solve drought and starvation problems his region. Haris said that what’s distinctive about the purple sweet potato he planted is its resilience and flexibility for coastal/beach area, making it ideal for NTT setting.

The plant also produces abundant yields. A piece of ready-to-harvest purple sweet potato can weigh up to 1 kg, making it sufficient for family consumption.

In addition to food and economic solutions, innovations in education was also presented in the event. Alfonsus Dwianto from Dana Cita shared his view. He believed that the platform he made proves to be very helpful to anyone who intends to pursue higher education despite their economic condition. Students will be given education loan which they can pay back after graduate.

“Dana Cita [Fund for Dream] does not only provide funding, but also ensures that kids get various highly needed programs, such as soft skill development program, so as to make them truly know what they are going to do,” Alfonsus further explained.

Other innovation includes one on provision of basic access, which was introduced by Siska Verawati from Indonesia’s Strategic Development Initiatives. She experimented with a method to provid electricity access in remote health facilities (puskesmas). To address this, Siska proposed a joint-electricity movement for puskesmas, engaging various stakeholders ranging from government, private sector, and locals.

As a result, they succeeded to operate solar panels that provide constant 24/7 electricity to three puskesmas, namely Puskesmas Lindu, Central Sulawesi; Puskesmas Sarina, NTT; and Puskesmas Karataun, West Sulawesi, with total beneficiaries of 15,500 people.

Innovators’ fresh ideas to address various gaps need to reach more audience. Moreover, their ways of dealing with particular problems can also be replicated in other areas facing similar condition. Indonesia Development Forum 2018 facilitates innovators to meet various stakeholders to expose the latter with various innovations.

IDF 2018 is held by the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) with the support of the Government of Australia through Knowledge Sector Initiative (KSI). This year’s grand title is “Pathways to Tackle Regional Disparity Across the Archipelago”.

IDF 2018 promotes more equal and sustainable development acceleration in Indonesia that is based upon science, relevant experiences, and facts. The results will be used as a reference to develop the Mid-Term Development Plan of 2020-2024.**