ASEAN is in a rush to achieve connectivity within countries and among nations in the region, which is mandated in the Master Plan for ASEAN Connectivity 2025.

ASEAN Connectivity 2025, part of the ASEAN Community, includes physical connectivity by improving infrastructure within the region, institutional connectivity, as well as people-to-people connectivity.

It is aimed at “improving citizens’ lives by providing more opportunities and boosting prosperity through enhanced economic and social development”.

With just nine years on the calendar, the master plan will be a challenge for ASEAN countries, most of which are developing nations.

To pave way for connectivity, Indonesia is set to host the first ASEAN G2B (government-to-business) Infrastructure Investment Forum, where both the public and private sectors across ASEAN countries can meet to discuss development challenges.

The forum, initiated by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), will be held in conjunction with the upcoming 2016 Indonesia Infrastructure Week in November.

The forum is set to focus on four main stages in infrastructure development, which are planning, funding, construction and operation.

Kadin chairman Rosan P. Roeslani said Indonesia had a five-year infrastructure agenda worth US$450 billion. Meanwhile, a 2014 study by McKinsey Global Institute concluded that ASEAN needed an estimated $3.3 trillion in infrastructure to support growth until 2030.

To achieve the targets, he said, governments must cooperate not only with one another but also with the private sector, because it would not be able to fund the costly projects solely using the state budget.

“This forum is important not only to discuss and find a solution to our challenges but also to connect the public sector to the private sector,” Rosan told reporters during a press conference in Jakarta on Monday.

Indonesia’s permanent representative to ASEAN, Rahmat Pramono, said the forum came just in time after the scheduled ratification of the master plan in September in Laos.

Rahmat said the forum would also be a positive platform to introduce the Master Plan for ASEAN Connectivity to stakeholders and the public.

“We are still putting the final touches on the master plan. We will make sure that the master plan is in line with Indonesia’s national strategic projects,” Rahmat said.

Newly appointed Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) head Thomas Lembong, who previously served as trade minister, said Indonesia was prioritizing investment for 225 national strategic projects, power plants, as well as waste management technology.

The national strategic projects include railways, sea ports and toll roads, among many others.

Thomas said the private sector’s participation in infrastructure projects was still very low, leading the government to rely heavily on the state budget and state-owned enterprises for investment.

“The BKPM will certainly facilitate and continue to provide assistance to investors, especially channeling investment interest into the infrastructure sector,” he said during the same occasion.

Data from the BKPM shows infrastructure projects in Indonesia during the first half of the year had been dominated by investment in electricity, gas and water projects at Rp 8.51 trillion ($650.61 million) in domestic investment and $613.24 million in foreign direct investment (FDI).

Construction projects, meanwhile, accounted for Rp 8.35 trillion in domestic investment and $75.26 million FDI.

The 2016 Indonesia Infrastructure Week, which will be held from Nov. 8 to 11, expects 16,000 visitors and more than 10 countries to participate, including ASEAN member countries.

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