Semarang, September 29, 2026 – The Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM) of Universitas Negeri Semarang (UNNES) held an initial coordination meeting with the Kendal Regency Community and Village Empowerment Agency to discuss potential collaboration in strengthening Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDes), Village Community Institutions (LKD), and Joint Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDes Bersama/BUMDesma) and LKD.
The meeting was attended by Prof. Dr. R. Benny Riyanto, S.H., M.Hum., CN., representing LPPM UNNES, and Rachmad Tri Haryono, S.T., Head of the Village Community Empowerment Division of the Kendal Regency Community and Village Empowerment Agency.
In his opening remarks, Prof. Dr. R. Benny Riyanto, S.H., M.Hum., CN. emphasized the commitment of LPPM UNNES to strengthening the contribution of higher education to village development through research, community service, institutional assistance, and capacity building.
He further stated that collaboration between higher education institutions and local governments should be developed through a needs-based, collaborative approach with a clear orientation toward sustainability. In this context, LPPM UNNES is prepared to provide expertise and support through research and policy studies, social mapping, assistance with institutional and business governance, and the development of village empowerment models that can be implemented and replicated in other areas.
During the meeting, Rachmad Tri Haryono, S.T. outlined a number of areas requiring further assistance, particularly financial governance, business development, institutional strengthening, and the identification and mapping of village economic potential. He noted that collaboration with LPPM UNNES could serve as a strategic effort to strengthen the management capacity of BUMDes and BUMDesma in Kendal Regency.
Financial governance emerged as one of the key areas for potential cooperation. The meeting discussed preparing a Cooperation Agreement (Perjanjian Kerja Sama/PKS) to address the financial management of BUMDes and BUMDesma, particularly the financial recording and reporting mechanisms. The Agency also raised the possibility of utilizing an application or digital platform to support a more systematic, transparent, accountable, and accessible financial reporting system for villages and village-owned enterprises.
The meeting also identified the need to strengthen the assessment of village potential. Assessments of the economic and social potential of individual villages have not yet been carried out comprehensively. A more structured assessment model is therefore considered necessary to identify local resources and economic opportunities and to provide a sound basis for designing community empowerment programs that respond to the specific conditions and needs of each village.
In this regard, social mapping was identified as an important approach in developing village empowerment programs. Through social mapping, programs can be designed based on the specific challenges, needs, resources, and potential of each village. This approach is expected to enable more contextual, targeted, and evidence-based interventions rather than applying a uniform model across different villages.
The meeting further discussed developing more specific forms of cooperation between LPPM UNNES and the Kendal Regency Community and Village Empowerment Agency. Rather than being limited to a general cooperation framework, the partnership may be translated into specific Cooperation Agreements (Perjanjian Kerja Sama/PKS) and technical programs tailored to the priorities and needs of individual villages.
The proposed collaboration is expected to strengthen the institutional and economic capacity of village communities in Kendal Regency while establishing a sustainable model of cooperation between higher education institutions and local government. Through research-based, needs-oriented programs, LPPM UNNES and the Kendal Regency Community and Village Empowerment Agency aim to develop measurable initiatives that contribute to sustainable village development and community empowerment. (R)
