This Company Owned Eka Tjipta Widjaja Creates Nongsa D-Town, Indonesia's Digital Bridge With Singapore

Illustration. (Photo: Doc, Sinar Mas Land)

JAKARTA - Nongsa D-Town is a visionary project in collaboration between Citramas Group and the company owned by late Eka Tjipta Widjaja, Sinar Mas Land, through the consortium company PT Citra Sinar Global.

The area is designed as a digital economy area that will become a bridge connecting various digital and technology companies between Indonesia and Singapore. Nongsa D-Town was inaugurated today, Tuesday, March 2 virtually by the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Airlangga Hartanto and Singapore's Minister of Trade and Industry, Chan Chun Sing.

CEO of Citramas Group, Mike Wiluan, and Group CEO of Sinar Mas Land, Michael Widjaja in the inauguration then described the development of the Nongsa D-Town project in a talk show session with Dr. Beh Swan Gin (Chairman of the Singapore Economic Development Board) and Suryopratomo (Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Singapore).

The development of Nongsa D-Town was motivated by the consideration of the potential for digital economic growth in Indonesia and Singapore.

In early 2020, President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo (Jokowi) in his speech said that Indonesia has the most active start-up ecosystem in Southeast Asia and number 5 in the world after America, India, Britain, and Canada. The President said that Indonesia is classified as the country with the largest digital economic value and has the fastest growth in Southeast Asia.

Airlangga Hartanto in his speech said that Indonesia continues to cooperate bilaterally with Singapore in increasing competitiveness, employment, and investment to strengthen regional stability.

"Batam has a strategic location close to Singapore so that its existence as a digital bridge between Indonesia and Singapore was also aspired by President Jokowi during his visit in 2017. I hope the inauguration of Nongsa D-Town can be an accelerator and have a significant impact on the digital industry in Batam and also to support bilateral cooperation between Indonesia and Singapore", said Airlangga.

Singapore's Minister of Trade and Industry, Chan Chun Sing stated that the Nongsa D-Town project reflects what can be achieved when the government and Indonesian and Singaporean business actors work together. In his remarks, he also stated that Nongsa D-Town is a digital bridge that connects Singapore with various digital communities in Indonesia which are growing very rapidly.

Sinar Mas Land Group CEO, Michael Widjaja said that the presence of Nongsa D-Town in an exclusive area on Batam Island will become a destination for young people in building industry, creativity, and connectivity in the creative and digital technology fields.

"The qualified facilities and infrastructure at Nongsa D-Town are prepared not only for work. It will also be equipped with a digital training center to prepare talents with skills relevant to current and future industry needs. The existence of this digital talent pool will strengthen the ecosystem. Nongsa D-Town is the center of the digital economy in Indonesia", explained Michael.

Citramas Group CEO Mike Wiluan added that the availability of a digital talent pool that is not limited by geographic location attracts potential from Indonesia and Singapore. As an explanation, he added, Singapore can act as a business center while the workforce and location are provided in Batam, Indonesia.

"Nongsa D-Town is ready to become a digital bridge for Indonesia and Singapore, especially with a talent pool for the younger generation, which both countries really need", he said.

Designed by Surbana Jurong from Singapore, in the future Nongsa D-Town is projected to accommodate 8.000 digital workers with a total area of 62 hectares. Nongsa D-Town will also be equipped with offices and other supporting areas such as shopping centers, digital training centers, hotels, and co-working/co-living spaces to support the needs of the community and workers.

Nongsa D-Town will provide Singapore with access to develop business and employment opportunities for the Indonesian people. This area has a strategic location, only 40 minutes from Singapore via ferry and 15 minutes by road from Batam Hang Nadim International Airport. The location and accessibility of Nongsa D-Town make it easy for Indonesia and Singapore to grow together and complement each other in the digital economy sector.