REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Dompet Dhuafa enters the communal industry or community industry phase in zakat management. This is as a form of empowerment in the management of zakat.

“We want to enter the phase of what we call communal industry or community industry,” said Ahmad Juwaini, Chairman of the Board of Governors of Dompet Dhuafa (DD), during the opening of the Interactive Discussion: Dhuafa's Wallet Goes Communal Industry which was held at the Cultural Hall of Rumah Kita Dompet Dhuafa Philanthropy Building, Jakarta, Tuesday (1/7/2025).

According to Juwaini, this is a kind of ijtihad of the Sharia Council DD. However, this ijitihad does not necessarily arise but rather after going through the process of developing DD activities themselves.

“DD is now using philanthropreneur as mainstream empowerment. We believe that zakat management activities should be in this spirit,” Juwaini said.

The goal is for zakat recipients to be empowered and independent. Thus, DD encourages zakat recipients to be independent in management.

“We are culturally oriented. It must be efficient and effective. He means muzakki, muwakif. So we believe that it is time for us to develop this spirit of philanthropy in the development of social funds,” Juwaini said.

According to Juwaini, the philanthropreneur functions to the beneficiaries, to the cooperation partners, and to ourselves as the amil zakat. So if it helps pokoknga needs to empower them,” Juwaini said.

Juwaini explained why this move had to be made. Because, very much government activity is financing basic necessities.

For example, the Bansos program. In which the government provided bansos to 75 million households for 2025 with a budget of Rp 4.5 trikiun. Later, KIP was a student whose admissions were nearly 1 million people. In addition, free nutritious meals

are estimated at Rp 171 trillion this year and target 17.9 million schoolchildren.

“These data are actually basic necessities that are almost completed by the government. If we share roles, where do we go?” asked Juwaini.

“I think it's time for us to play a role, not just give. We need the spirit of philanthropeneur. It remains on its zakat function but what used to be

for our basic needs has shifted to an empowerment orientation,” Juwaini said.

Returning to the concept of communal industry, Juwaini explains by definition that it is an industry that is jointly owned by a community in which cooperation takes place to raise the income and well-being of the community. DD itself has already developed this concept in Cirangkong area, Subang Regency.

For the community, DD provides land to plant pineapples. Then, provide health assistance to the community, educational assistance.

In addition, DD employs people there to cultivate pineapple plantation land. DD also made a factory there whose shares could be owned by the community.

“The hope is that from here, we will create a pineapple (processing) factory. Then the pineapple is processed into jam and concentrate. So this is not just local talk but also for export,” Juwaini said.

To develop all this, Juwaini continued, is a shared challenge. DD as a zakat institution needs to cooperate and synergize with zakat forums, Baznas, up to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Meanwhile, Baznas Chairman Prof KH Noor Achmad who gave a speech online welcomed the DD idea. “Wonderful idea of empowering people forward. The big idea can be formulated to serve as a raw material for the development of the people in Indonesia,” said Kiai Noor Achmad.

Kiai Noor appreciated DD being more specific in providing community service. What DD does has an impact on zakat institutions in Indonesia.

Director of Zakat and Waqf Empowerment Ministry Waryono Abdul Ghafur said that in improving society and alleviating poverty, what is needed today is innovation and sharing tasks.

“So the state has not been able to fully meet the needs of the people. Therefore, it is necessary to share the debt so that it is not over lapping,” Waryono said.

The initiator and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Dompet Dhuafa, Parni Hadi, said that the collaboration of his side is ready. Moreover, DD has entered the communal industry era. “Our mindset has to transform towards empowerment,” Parni said.

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