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IN the last few days, a hot topic of discussion in Aceh in formal meetings, coffee shop talks, or in social media is about the release of Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) Aceh data which says Aceh's poverty rate is ranked 6th in Indonesia. With the status of being one province with the largest APB in Indonesia, the poverty rate is an interesting phenomenon to be discussed.

Data from the Ministry of Finance show that in 2016 Aceh's revenue realization (provincial and district / city levels) reached Rp 41.86 trillion. While the realization of expenditure reached Rp 42.18 trillion. The magnitude of Aceh's revenue and expenditure realization is ranked the 7th largest in Indonesia.

Ideally if Aceh has a lot of money (budget), then the welfare of the people should be better than other provinces whose money is less. But what is on paper is not necessarily the same as the fact in the field. Large budgets can not guarantee will result in output in the form of community welfare, depending on how to manage it, as well as other external factors.

Behind the status of the 6th poor predicate held by Aceh Province, there is a positive thing that needs to be appreciated, namely the decrease of the number of poor people as of September 2017 to 829,80 thousand people from 872.61 thousand people as of March 2017, or decreased by 42 thousand souls (4.81%). However, it does not mean that the government and other stakeholders can be complacent about the decline in the number of poor people, because in terms of number is still high and there is potential for future increases due to the development and dynamics of the domestic and global economy.

Based on the regional economic and financial assessment of Bank Indonesia, the economy of Aceh in 2018 is projected to grow around 3.55% to 4.55%, lower than the 2017 economic growth forecast of 3.75% to 4.75%. The slowdown in Aceh's economic growth in 2018, as well as the disruption of production processes due to weather conditions, is also influenced by the world price downtrend in some of Aceh's main commodities such as coffee and palm oil.

In regard to inflation, although Bank Indonesia is optimistic the inflation rate in 2018 will be lower than 2017, but the risk of rising prices due to rising world oil prices is a matter that needs to be well anticipated. Facts so far indicate in general the rise in fuel prices (BBM) will affect the increase in prices of basic commodities. Pressure on inflation may also stem from fluctuations in the rupiah.

The risk of global uncertainty due to US economic policies that raised the Fed Fund Rate could lead to the release of foreign capital from Indonesia (Capital Outflow), thus affecting the weakening of the Rupiah exchange rate (depreciation). This condition causes the price of imported goods to rise which can lead to inflation, or known as imported inflation.

Facing economic challenges
Looking at these 2018 macroeconomic projections, then if the economic management is not done well and on target, it could have an impact on increasing poverty in Aceh. There are at least five things that the authors say can be done and the attention of the Government of Aceh and all stakeholders in facing the economic challenges ahead in order to reduce poverty in Aceh.

First, job creation. One strategy to alleviate poverty is to create jobs for the community. The large population of Indonesia with high population growth rate, as well as the low quality of human resources (HR), makes poverty vulnerable to society. The narrowness of employment coupled with the influx of foreign workers due to the quality of human resources in the country that has not met the standard, causing the unemployment rate to increase. Without a decent and permanent income, poverty will become more and more familiar with the people of Indonesia, including in Aceh