Beyond Infrastructure: Evaluating the Effectiveness of the BAKTI Program Implementation in Indonesia

Athifa Dianrizky Nareshwari, Dr. Bevaola Kusumasari

2025 | Skripsi | ILMU ADMINISTRASI NEGARA (MANAJEMEN DAN KEBIJAKAN PUBLIK)

This study evaluates the implementation of Indonesia’s BAKTI program, a government initiative aimed at expanding digital infrastructure and inclusion in the country’s most remote and underserved areas. Using the OECD-DAC evaluation framework, the research assesses the program’s relevance, coherence, efficiency, impact, and sustainability through qualitative methods, including stakeholder interviews and content analysis. Findings reveal that while BAKTI has significantly improved internet coverage in 3T (frontier, outermost, and underdeveloped) regions, digital inclusion remains limited due to socio-technical barriers such as low digital literacy, inadequate institutional capacity, and fragmented governance. Infrastructure often arrives in communities lacking the skills, support systems, and readiness to make effective use of it. The study argues that without parallel investments in digital literacy and local empowerment, connectivity risks reinforcing existing inequalities rather than bridging them. Policy recommendations emphasize the need for decentralized implementation, sustained capacity-building, and institutionalized digital literacy programs to ensure inclusive and meaningful digital transformation.

This study evaluates the implementation of Indonesia’s BAKTI program, a government initiative aimed at expanding digital infrastructure and inclusion in the country’s most remote and underserved areas. Using the OECD-DAC evaluation framework, the research assesses the program’s relevance, coherence, efficiency, impact, and sustainability through qualitative methods, including stakeholder interviews and content analysis. Findings reveal that while BAKTI has significantly improved internet coverage in 3T (frontier, outermost, and underdeveloped) regions, digital inclusion remains limited due to socio-technical barriers such as low digital literacy, inadequate institutional capacity, and fragmented governance. Infrastructure often arrives in communities lacking the skills, support systems, and readiness to make effective use of it. The study argues that without parallel investments in digital literacy and local empowerment, connectivity risks reinforcing existing inequalities rather than bridging them. Policy recommendations emphasize the need for decentralized implementation, sustained capacity-building, and institutionalized digital literacy programs to ensure inclusive and meaningful digital transformation.

Kata Kunci : 3T regions; decentralization; digital literacy; digital inclusion; policy evaluation