President Jokowi: Indonesia Committed to Realizing Concrete Collaboration with Africa
President Jokowi delivers press statement following a bilateral meeting with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan at Dar Es Salaam State House on Tuesday (08/22). (Photo by: BPMI of Presidential Secretariat /Laily Rachev)
Indonesia is set to realize a concrete collaboration with Africa through a grand design for the development of Africa for the next five years that is currently being formulated, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has said.
“Indonesia will walk the talk to realize a concrete collaboration with Africa. Indonesia is finalizing a grand design for the development of Africa for the next five years,” he said in his press statement at Dar Es Salaam State House in Tanzania following a bilateral meeting with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Tuesday (08/22).
Furthermore, President Jokowi pointed out that the development design also includes the agriculture sector in Tanzania.
“One of the development plans is revitalizing Farmer’s Agriculture and Rural Training Center in Morogoro, Tanzania,” he said while reaffirming Indonesia’s commitment to developing health security in Tanzania through fulfilment of pharmaceutical product demands.
“Indonesia is committed to participating in the development of Tanzania’s health security. Indonesia’s pharmaceutical companies will export their first products in Tanzania as a form of contribution to fulfilling the demands for pharmaceutical products in Tanzania,” he said.
President Jokowi also stated that Indonesia is planning to increase investment in Tanzania in the energy sector.
“Indonesia wants to increase investment in Tanzania, including through Indonesia’s state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina’s management of Mnazi Bay block and the processing of natural gas into chemicals and fertilizers,” he said, adding that investment in the sector is very strategic and it may strengthen the cooperation between developing countries.
Moreover, President Jokowi also pushes for the establishment of Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) between Indonesia and Tanzania to tap into the two countries’ trade potentials.
“Indonesia pushes for the establishment of PTA to further optimize the potentials of the two countries’ bilateral trade, which rose by 20.7 percent in 2022,” he said, adding that during the bilateral meeting, Indonesia proposed to create a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) to ensure the protection and continuity of investment of the two countries.
On a separate occasion, Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi stated that during the tête-à-tête, the President of Tanzania expressed wish to learn from Indonesia, especially regarding infrastructure development, downstreaming of industry, development of palm oil industry, and management of state-owned enterprises.
Retno further said that the two leaders have agreed to strengthen cooperation in diplomatic training.
“President Jokowi invited a team from Tanzania to visit Jakarta to exchange ideas about the development of diplomatic school curriculum,” she said, adding that during the bilateral meeting, the two leaders agreed to immediately begin negotiations to establish the PTA and BIT.
“As for the PTA and BIT, the two presidents have agreed to immediately begin negotiations,” she remarked.
For the record, the bilateral meeting produced several signed documents of cooperation in several sectors as follows:
- Memorandum of Understanding on Establishment of Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation
- Visa Free Agreement for Diplomatic and Service Passport Holders
- Memorandum of Understanding on Health Cooperation
- Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Energy Sector
- Memorandum of Understanding on Electricity Cooperation between Indonesia’s state-owned electricity company PLN and Tanzania’s Electric Supply Company (TANESCO)
- Memorandum of Understanding between state-owned Mining Industry Indonesia (MIND ID) and Tanzania’s State Mining Corporation (STAMICO)
- Memorandum of Understanding on Activities related to Oil and Gas Business Value Chain between Pertamina and Tanzania’s Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC).
(BPMI SETPRES/UN) (DH/MUR)
