Monday, 02 November 2026
JAKARTA | INDATANEWS.COM - The North Sumatra Provincial Government (Pemprov Sumut) received the Anugerah Program Inovasi Pembangunan Terpuji award in the Acceleration of Basic Services and Balanced Regional Development category at the Detik Sumatera Awards 2026. The award recognizes the provincial government's efforts to promote more equitable development while accelerating the delivery of basic services to communities across different regions.
North Sumatra Governor Muhammad Bobby Afif Nasution personally accepted the award at the Detik Sumatera Awards 2026 ceremony on Friday, August 28, 2026, at the Grand Ballroom of the Trans Hotel in Jakarta.
The award highlights North Sumatra's development strategy, in which balanced regional development has become one of the government's key priorities. The provincial government is not only advancing development in urban areas and growth centers, but also in remote regions that continue to face geographical challenges and limited access to public services.
Under Bobby Nasution's leadership, the North Sumatra Provincial Government has focused on several areas requiring special attention, including the Nias Islands and Sipiongot. The regional administration has directed various development programs toward improving public access to basic services while creating new opportunities for economic growth in these areas.
The North Sumatra Provincial Government considers education, healthcare, agriculture and food security to be key components of its balanced regional development agenda. The government is also promoting infrastructure development, regional development and the growth of economic areas to create more evenly distributed economic growth.
These measures are intended to ensure that people across North Sumatra have increasingly better access to public services. Accelerated development is also expected to help reduce regional disparities while strengthening the potential of local economies.
Bobby Nasution said the award was essentially recognition of the government's public service responsibilities. He stressed that serving the community is a shared responsibility and should not be pursued merely for the purpose of receiving awards.
"We were essentially given this award as recognition for those who serve the community and fall within the same category. We all provide this service. Therefore, we are grateful for the award, although this is actually our responsibility – a responsibility that we all have to fulfill," Bobby said.
His statement reflects the provincial government's view that the award should serve as encouragement to continue carrying out its responsibilities in providing public services. At the same time, the provincial government must ensure the continuity of its programs so that the benefits of development can reach as broad a segment of the population as possible.
Attention to remote areas was among the aspects particularly highlighted in connection with the award. The Nias Islands, for example, have unique geographical characteristics that require a different development approach from mainland areas of North Sumatra.
Geographical conditions and long distances pose particular challenges to the equitable delivery of public services. The government therefore needs to strengthen infrastructure and access to services while adapting its programs to the economic potential and needs of local communities.
The same approach is being applied to the development of Sipiongot. The government is not focusing solely on infrastructure development, but also seeks to increase community productivity through agriculture, food security and regional economic development.
This approach demonstrates that balanced regional development requires the integration of various sectors. Improvements in education and healthcare must go hand in hand with infrastructure development and the strengthening of local economies so that development can generate the widest possible impact.
In his address, detikcom Editor-in-Chief Ardhi Suryadi praised the recipients of the Detik Sumatera Awards 2026. In his view, the awardees have carried out concrete work and brought about changes in their respective regions.
"Thank you for choosing to keep moving forward, keep working and continue doing your best. Perhaps they did not always ask to be remembered, but their work deserves our recognition," Ardhi said.
The Detik Sumatera Awards 2026 serve as a platform to recognize various stakeholders who, according to the organizers, have made tangible contributions to regional development. The recipients include individuals, regional governments, regionally owned enterprises and various other institutions.
In addition to the North Sumatra Provincial Government, the organizers presented around 20 awards to individuals and institutions considered inspirational. The categories included awards for outstanding economic programs, outstanding economic initiatives, outstanding innovative development programs and figures regarded as accelerators of regional progress.
The award received by the North Sumatra Provincial Government also serves as recognition of the regional administration's efforts to accelerate development and the delivery of basic services. Going forward, the challenge will not only be to maintain these achievements, but also to ensure that development programs actually reach communities in areas with limited access.
With its focus on balanced regional development, strengthening basic services and unlocking the economic potential of various regions, the North Sumatra Provincial Government is seeking to promote growth that is not concentrated in particular areas. Balanced development is an important component in ensuring that North Sumatra's progress benefits communities across different regions. (IDNC)
REPORTER: Ahmad Zulfikar | EDITOR: Fik Sagala
