NZMATES in Maluku Business Forum

The NZMATES team participated in the Maluku Business Forum, organized by the Maluku Regional Chapter of the Indonesian Association of Muslim Intellectuals (ICMI), held at the Hotel Santika Ambon ballroom on November 1, 2026.

Safitri, serving as the Senior Programme Manager for NZMATES, spoke at the event on the theme: "Energy Transition in Archipelagic Regions: Renewable Energy Investment, Local Capacity, and Sustainable Development." The NZMATES program is a collaborative initiative between Indonesia and New Zealand designed to support the transition to clean, renewable energy in the Maluku region.

The event commenced with opening remarks from Dr. Ruslan Tawari (Chair of the Maluku Regional Chapter of ICMI), Abdullah Vanath, S.Sos. (Deputy Governor of Maluku Province), and Dr. H. Priyo Budi Santoso (Deputy General Chair of the ICMI Central Executive Board), who also officially inaugurated the Maluku Business Forum.

Following the opening, presentations were delivered by the 10th and 12th Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia, Dr. (H.C.) H. Muhammad Jusuf Kalla; the Mayor of Ambon, Drs. Bodewin Wattimena, M.Si.; Rudi Irwan, ST., IPU (Vice President of INPEX, LTD); and Safitri Yanti Baharuddin, SE, MPBS. The session was moderated by Dr. Djufri Rays Pattilouw, SE, MSi.

In her presentation, Safitri highlighted the significant challenges involved in supplying fossil fuels to remote islands, noting that renewable energy offers a logical and robust solution to support local communities in these areas. She recommended aligning strategic policies, bridging the Maluku Regional Energy General Plan (RUED), PLN’s "Green" Electricity Supply Business Plan (RUPTL), and industry stakeholders, a process that could be facilitated through the Maluku Energy Forum. Furthermore, she proposed establishing joint research pathways with UNPATTI (Pattimura University) and POLNAM (Ambon State Polytechnic), with NZMATES committing to provide technical assistance, capacity building, and support for the development of a renewable energy project pipeline. NZMATES exists to support the transition to renewable energy in Maluku.

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