Trade between Indonesia and sub-Saharan Africa reached $2.56 billion in 2016, but there is a huge prospect to increase the volume with the diversification of export products.
ndonesia will host the first-ever Indonesia-Africa Forum (IAF) in Bali on April 10 and 11. The forum is a reflection of Indonesia’s commitment to bring it closer to sub-Saharan Africa and boost business ties to their full potential.
The forum reminds us of the 1955 Asia-Africa Conference in Bandung, which brought together many countries from the two continents. Some were like Indonesia, which had just gained their independence, but many in Africa were still under European colonial rule. An Indonesian initiative, the conference inspired many countries to fight for their independence, and they subsequently won.
Why is sub-Saharan Africa so important? The region covers 46 countries with a total population of 985 million, a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of US$1.394 trillion and a per capita income of $2,071 in 2016. One is a high-income country (Seychelles), six are middle income (Equatorial Guinea, Mauritius, Gabon, Botswana, South Africa, Namibia) and the rest are lower-middle income and low-income countries.
Indonesia currently is well represented with embassies in Dakar, Abuja, Windhoek, Pretoria, Antananarivo, Maputo, Harare, Dar es Salaam, Nairobi, Addis Ababa, a consulate general office in Cape Town and Indonesian Trade Promotion Center offices in Johannesburg and Lagos. These are assets to support and strengthen Indonesia’s engagement with the region in economic and all other sectors.
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