Six governors in the Land of Papua are fully committed to pushing Indonesia's easternmost region to become a Sports Province. This strategic step is proposed to secure an official legal umbrella from the central government, in the form of either a Presidential Instruction (Inpres) or a Presidential Regulation (Perpres).
This statement was emphasized by the Governor of Central Papua, Meki Nawipa, during the Strategic Dialogue with the Deputy Minister of National Development Planning (PPN)/Deputy Head of Bappenas in Timika, Mimika, on Thursday (30/7/2026). This collective commitment is one of the key points of the "Timika Agreement" previously formulated by the Association of Provincial Regional Heads throughout Papua.
Meki Nawipa explained that the sports sector is not only a platform for talent scouting and achievements, but also an integral part of developing the quality of Papua's human resources. Furthermore, optimizing this sector is seen as a way to unlock new economic opportunities that directly impact the welfare of the local community.
This cross-provincial cooperation is expected to collectively synergize sports potential across all corners of Papua. Beyond sports, the agreement among the regional heads also covers other priority programs such as basic infrastructure development, healthcare services, improving the quality of education, food security, energy transition, and strengthening Special Autonomy (Otsus) governance.
Through solid synergy between regional governments, it is hoped that the central government will promptly respond to this proposal by issuing concrete policies that can be implemented for the advancement of sustainable development in the Land of Papua.
