Province

South Papua

Papua – South Papua

Situated on Papua Island, South Papua is a newly established province in Indonesia. Its establishment was administered under Law No. 14/2022, signed by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on July 25, 2022. Through this law, the province of Papua underwent an administrative division, resulting in the formation of South Papua province.

Encompassing the southernmost portion of Papua, the province shares its land borders with Papua province to the north and the independent nation of Papua New Guinea to the east. To the south, it is bounded by the Arafura Sea, and to the west, by the Aru Sea.

Up to 120,279 square kilometers of landmass covers South Papua, which is also home to 553,910 individuals. Additionally, the province is divided into four districts, namely the Mappi district, Asmat district, Boven Digoel district, and Mappi district, which also serves as the province’s capital city.

In South Papua, Christianity is the dominant religion, according to 2023 data from the Directorate General of Population and Civil Registration Office. It represents 72.57 percent of the population, with Catholicism being the most prevalent Christian denomination at 49.62 percent, followed by Protestantism at 22.95 percent. Other religions, including Islam, were recorded at 27.28 percent, Hinduism at 0.11 percent, and Buddhism at 0.04 percent, making up a smaller portion of the province’s religious landscape.

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Economic Description

Despite being a recent addition to Indonesia's provinces, South Papua's economy is maintaining a steady pace. In 2022, the province’s Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) reached Rp 28.6 trillion, with the construction sector serving as the province’s leading sector with a significant contribution of Rp 6.9 trillion. It is closely followed by the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sector at Rp 6.1 trillion, and the wholesale and retail trade sector, including cars and motorcycles reparation, at Rp 3.5 trillion.

The construction sector’s leading role in South Papua extends from thriving construction activity across Papua Island. Subsequently, given the province’s recent establishment, the construction of essential infrastructure fuels activity across various sub-sectors, positioning construction as the backbone of South Papua’s ongoing economic development.

Furthermore, the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sector is the second leading sector in South Papua. Within this sector, the largest sub-sector is farming and livestock, contributing nearly Rp 2.8 trillion. Fisheries closely follow with Rp 2.7 trillion, along with forestry at Rp 605 billion.

Lastly, the wholesale and retail trade sector has emerged as the third leading contributor to South Papua’s economic well-being. This sector experienced a significant growth rate of 8.76 percent in 2023, showcasing its potential to become an even more vital driver of economic activity in the province in the future.

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Latest News

September 13, 2024

Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Minsitry, through its Housing Directorate-General, carried out the groundbreaking for the construction of apartments and special housing units for South Papua Provincial Government and Central Papua Provincial Government civil servants (ASN).

The apartment, which was built according to its 2024-2025 contract, will have Type 36 units which are furnished. Meanwhile, the 50 special housing units will consist of Type 70 buildings.

"Today, we carry out the groundbreaking for the construction of apartments and special housing units for ASN of Papua's new autonomous regions, specifically in the provinces of South Papua and Central Papua," PUPR Ministry Housing Director-General Iwan Suprijanto stated in South Papua on Sep. 4, 2024.

Iwan explained that the construction of housing infrastructure in the Papuan new autonomous regions is a form of commitment from the central government under the leadership of the President Joko Widodo to achieve equity of development in Papua. In addition, the government also wants to bring the regional government center closer to the local community to ease public service and bureaucratic work.

"The construction of apartments and special housing units is not [just] a new project, but [also] the government's responsibility to be closer and provide the best service to the [local] community. In addition to housing, the PUPR Ministry will also build office buildings so that governance in the new autonomous regions could run well," he elaborated.

Iwan is present at the event together with South Papua Acting Governor Pol. Com. Gen. (ret.) Rudy Sufahriadi and representatives of Central Papua Acting Governor Ribka Haluk.

Meanwhile, PUPR Ministry Housing Directorate-General's Papua I Housing Provision Implementation Center (BP2P) Head Aleksander Simon Lopulalan explained, in a report that was submitted by Papua Province Housing Provision Work Unit Head PM. Desyarmeda Killian, that the groundbreaking of the for the construction of the South Papua ASN Apartment and Special Housing is located in the Salor Independent Integrated Area, Kurik District, Merauke Regency, South Papua. 

Two apartments will be built according to the Wisma Arunika Type, each with three floors. Their total number of residences is 88 Type 36 units that consist of two bedrooms, a living room, a bathroom, a dining room, a kitchen, and a laundry area. In addition, several public facilities such as multi-purpose rooms, prayer rooms, public bathrooms, management rooms, a parking area, and public utility facilities will also be provided to residents.

Meanwhile, Aleksander said on the special housing units that each is built with one floor that will consist of three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, a laundry area, bathrooms, a dining room, a terrace, and a carport.

"The apartment's land area is 2.4 hectares (ha), and the construction contract date was August 30, 2024, for contractor Nindya Karya, with a work period of 300 calendar days. South Papua Provincial Government ASN will be their beneficiaries," he explained.

The PUPR apparatus will also carry out the construction of the Central Papua Provincial Government ASN Apartment in Karadiri 2, Wanggar District, Nabire Regency, Central Papua. It will be made up of three-story Wisma Arunika type apartment towers with 88 type 36 housing units in total.

"The apartment in Central Papua has a land area of ​​2.5 ha, and the contractor is Djasa Ubersakti with a construction period of 330 calendar days. We hope that the beneficiaries, the Central Papua Provincial Government ASN, could immediately occupy the housing when it is completed," Aleksander said.

Pol. Com. Gen. (Ret.) Rudy Sufahriadi expressed his gratitude for the support of the PUPR Ministry for development in Papua Province. He also hopes that investment to South Papua will continue to increase, including in the property sector amid plans to build various government offices in the future.

"We would like to thank the PUPR Ministry which continues to build infrastructure, including housing for South Papua Provincial Government ASN," he said.

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