Industries in the Ketapang Regency, West Kalimantan, have been altering the region by creating mining investments and enhancing downstream processing. Ketapang Regency has the potential to extend from the seas and plantations to bauxite mining. Mining investment, as reported by West Kalimantan Investment Coordinating Board and One-Stop Service, included the Realisation of Domestic Investment (PMDN) as well as Foreign Investment (PMA) in 2024, totalling IDR 31.47 trillion (USD 1.94 billion). One of the significant investments made to PMDN and PMA by Ketapang Regency was valued at IDR 8.60 trillion (USD 530.86 million).
Extended downstream processing and mining investments at Ketapang Regency will have broader impacts, including:
– Job absorption and regional income
– New business opportunities
– Enhanced income of the surrounding communities
Owing to the development process within the region, investments have become crucial, especially after the need to undertake operational activities for processing and refining bauxite plants to alumina smelters.
Tian Deyong, the Director of PT Well Harvest Winning (WHW) Alumina stated, “Out of a total of 3,267 WHW employees, 2,817 or 86 per cent of them are workers from West Kalimantan.”
WHW has continued to transfer technologies for worker training to support higher employment rates in the region. Worker training is provided to Indonesian workers who work mainly in technical tasks, maintenance, and operations.
In terms of the WHW’s social responsibility, they have shown thriving support to the fishermen, an important occupation for the residents in Sungai Tengar Hamlet. To date, WHW has provided different assistance to these fishermen with relevant equipment.