Photo: TSE Group’s Director Luwy Leunufna (second from the left) and Cenderawasih University’s Vice-Rector IV for Collaboration Dr. Basir Rohrohmana (third from the right) sign a MoU that kicks off a research and community empowerment partnership
JAYAPURA – Papua is home to a wide range of Indigenous traditions, languages, and knowledge that hold value for its people. According to the book “Tradisi & Kebudayaan Nusantara” (Traditions & Cultures of the Archipelago), the province is divided into seven customary regions based on the tribes inhabiting them — which add up to a total of 255.
This rich cultural diversity has led PT Tunas Sawa Erma from TSE Group to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cenderawasih University on Wednesday (9/30/2026) in Jayapura.
Both parties are to embark on community service and empowerment projects that will include an ethnographic study on the social, cultural, and linguistic aspects of the company’s immediate communities. The collaboration will also focus on student internships and research centered upon anthropology.
As a higher education institution, Cenderawasih University will play a vital role through its education, research, and community service functions. With its academic capacity and understanding of the local context, it will provide valuable support for sociocultural research and studies that TSE Group may need.
“By working with Cenderawasih University, PT Tunas Sawa Erma demonstrates its commitment to promoting manpower development and community empowerment in Papua through ongoing research programs, college internships, and community service initiatives,” said Luwy Leunufna, PT Tunas Sawa Erma and TSE Group’s director.
Dr. Basir Rohrohmana, Vice-Rector IV for Collaboration at Cenderawasih University, welcomed the partnership with TSE Group, which he said would help strengthen academic contributions to community well-being.
“[I see] this collaboration with Tunas Sawa Erma Group as part of efforts to cement the roles of academia as educators, researchers, and community service providers, which improve lives across Papua.”
Both TSE Group and Cenderawasih University aim to build long-term cooperation between the private and academic sectors, especially in terms of social and cultural research publication. TSE Group hopes the works can inform its process of creating community programs to better align with local conditions and priorities.
This partnership was brought on by TSE Group’s commitment as a palm oil company to implementing “No Deforestation, No Peat, No Exploitation” principles — and improving recovery plans for affected communities by better understanding their social and cultural conditions. (PR)
