I

f you travel to Rabat and swing by near the biggest post office in the country, you might be startled to come across '€œRue Sukarno'€ or the Sukarno road.

It was named after our first president, who officially opened the road as a token of appreciation for Indonesians'€™ endeavors in galvanizing third-world solidarity including through the Asia-Africa Conference.

Even after 60 years since the conference was convened, its echo continues to be heard in Africa. For instance, the White Paper on South Africa'€™s Foreign Policy stipulates: '€œThe 1955 Bandung Conference shapes our understanding of South-South cooperation and opposition to colonialism as a natural extension of our national interest'€.

This year, Indonesia will host the 60th Anniversary of the Asia-Africa Conference as well as the 10th anniversary of the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership (NAASP). As stated by Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi, Indonesia will invite 109 Asian and African leaders and 25 international organizations to attend the conference.

There is nothing wrong with going down memory lane and reveling in the critical role we played to galvanize Asian-African solidarity against the scourge of colonialism.

What is wrong is the failure to harness that spirit to carry the partnership between us and countries in Asia and Africa forward.

While there is little doubt that our cooperation with Asian countries is as vibrant as ever with the imminent ASEAN Community and the negotiation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, our ties with African countries still trail behind.

To be fair, the relations between Indonesia and African countries continue to grow, with our trade volume showing an upward trend. Our trade with Africa has, in the last decades, continuously grown.

The government also strives to promote Africa as a major prospective market for our exports.

This year also marked the first time that our foreign minister attended the African Union Summit, which epitomizes the increasing significance of Africa for Indonesia.

Nevertheless, despite the positive signs, much remains to be desired. Africa still contributes to just about 2-3 percent of our total trade.

This number is too small compared with Indonesia'€™s other main markets. China alone accounts for almost 15 percent of our non-oil and gas exports.

The fact is, consisting of 54 countries with approximately 900 million population, Africa still offers humongous untapped opportunities for Indonesia'€™s exports.

To a certain degree, Indonesia'€™s image in Africa is very positive because of the legacy of solidarity that emanates from the shared experience of colonialism.

However, relying on erstwhile reminiscence alone is not enough to elevate our cooperation with Africa to new ground.

That is why in 2005, in commemorating the Asia-Africa Conference, Indonesia pushed for the establishment of NAASP.

This new initiative was launched as a way to revitalize the longstanding solidarity and spirit of cooperation between Asian and African countries.

Apart from NAASP, Indonesia also needs to engage Africa through bilateral frameworks. In order to do so, it is imperative for Indonesia to view this region from a new perspective. Africa might be considered a laggard continent. This is because Africa is mostly depicted by the media as fraught with conflicts, extreme poverty and pandemics.

What we need to understand is that the challenges African countries face today are no longer those they faced in the past, such as decolonization, apartheid and ethnic conflicts.

The challenges now pertain to development, enhancing human resources, reducing poverty and resolving other social and economic problems.

Africa'€™s economic growth in 21st century makes it arguably a vital engine for global development. This region has undergone democratization, creating some modicum of political stability in the process.

In 2014, the economic growth of Africa reached 5.5 percent. From 2011 to 2015, it was estimated that out of 10 countries with the fastest growth in the world, seven were from Africa.

As Africa has transformed into a new land of opportunity, Indonesia must get rid of age-old stereotypes regarding the continent.

To make headway, our relations with Africa should not be confined to politics. We should also step it up a gear when it comes to our economic diplomacy.

Among other factors, this entails the need to empower our missions so that they can improve their role to expand our business presence in Africa.

We might also need to designate entry points and hubs in each African sub-region so that our economic diplomacy will be more effective.

It is also worth considering establishing an Indonesian business center or Indonesian malls in the respective hubs for each sub-region.

It would be an outlet for us to display and promote our potential, including our major exports, investment opportunities and tourist destinations.

We should also seriously consider establishing an Indonesia-Africa Forum, as what other countries including China, India, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam and Turkey have done.

The forum could act as an effective platform to synergize engagement among stakeholders, such as the private sector from both Indonesia and Africa, to identify and optimize cooperation opportunities.

In the end, it all boils down to the need for us to view Africa as a strategic partner for our development, a continent with which we need to bolster our relationship.

To achieve this, Indonesia has modalities, assets and leverage that can be utilized to deepen and strengthen its relations with Africa.

Nonetheless, efforts to create a strategic partnership with Africa call for the commitment and synergy of all stakeholders '€” the government, private sector and the media both from Indonesia as well as Africa.

It is imperative for us to engage with Africa through total diplomacy so that our partnership with Africa goes much further than merely reminiscing about street names.
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... relying on erstwhile reminiscence alone is not enough to elevate our cooperation with Africa to new ground.
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The writers work at the Center for Policy Analysis and Development on the Asia Pacific and Africa Region at the Foreign Ministry. The opinions expressed are their own.