The Director of Social Organization at the Directorate General of Politics and General Government of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Abdul Ghofur, emphasized that the issue of critical minerals or essential minerals will remain a primary focus in national development for the next 10 to 20 years.

This aligns with the government's major agenda to encourage the energy transition toward net zero emissions.

According to Ghofur, the energy transition cannot be separated from various related aspects, such as green energy, mineral downstreaming, and the net zero emissions target.

"All of this is a unified system that must be viewed comprehensively," said Ghofur during a discussion at the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef) titled "Strengthening Regional Government Capacity in Managing Critical Minerals," on Friday (February 28, 2025).

He emphasized that the government’s current policies have addressed these strategic issues through four priority programs: free nutritious food, food self-sufficiency, energy self-sufficiency, and industrial downstreaming. According to Ghofur, these programs are also in line with the President's Astacita, particularly in the second and fifth points, which aim to strengthen national independence and economic sustainability.

In the context of inflation, Ghofur revealed that the government has received numerous inputs from various institutions, including Indef, regarding the factors influencing inflation and its impact on national economic stability.

One of the critical minerals that is currently a major focus is nickel. As the largest producer of nickel in the world, Indonesia continues to develop this sector to increase added value and strengthen industrial downstreaming. Ghofur also highlighted that Indonesia is likely to have more types of critical minerals, as identified by various countries, including Canada, which has listed 47 types of critical minerals in its strategic list.