Davos, January 23, 2026 – The Europe Today: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Thursday unveiled his administration’s ambitious plan to establish at least 1,000 modernized fishing villages across the country, presenting the initiative at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2026 in Davos, Switzerland.
Speaking before world leaders at the high-level conference, President Prabowo outlined the Red and White Fishing Villages program, which aims to provide comprehensive infrastructure and facilities to support approximately 2,000 fishermen in each village. The initiative includes the construction of ice factories and diesel fuel stations to ensure easy access for local fishing communities.
“We are also going to modernize what we call new fishing villages. We will build at least 1,000 this year, but we actually want to allocate funds for 5,000 villages,” he said. “We will build diesel stations in every village. They [fishermen] will have very easy access [to fuel].”
The modernization program is expected to benefit around 10 million fishermen and their families, improving the livelihoods of at least 40 million Indonesians, the president added.
President Prabowo highlighted the ongoing pilot project in Biak Numfor District, Papua Province, which he described as producing “very heartening” results, including a 60 percent increase in annual income for local residents.
In addition, he underscored the government’s broader efforts under the Red and White Village Cooperatives program, which currently operates 83,000 cooperatives nationwide. These cooperatives are equipped with storage facilities, grocery stores, pharmacies, and other supporting infrastructure to deliver subsidized goods directly to villagers, reducing dependence on middlemen.
The WEF, a Geneva-based non-governmental organization and think tank, has organized annual high-level conferences in Davos since 1971, bringing together global leaders, experts, and academics to discuss economic trends, challenges, and future projections.
President Prabowo’s address emphasized Indonesia’s commitment to modernizing its fisheries sector, fostering rural development, and creating sustainable livelihoods for millions of citizens through targeted infrastructure and community support programs.
