SEAToday.com, Nusa Dua- The 2nd Indonesia Africa Forum (IAF) will be an entry point for business people in Indonesia to establish strategic cooperation with African countries. The forum titled ‘Bandung Spirit for Africa's Agenda 2063’ will be held from 1 to 3 September 2024 in Bali.

IAF 2024 invites representatives from 54 African countries, with the aim of optimising the potential of business transactions between the two regions. To achieve this goal, the forum will hold a business exhibition on 2-3 September 2024.

Up to now, 103 companies and 139 business people from Africa and around 350 Indonesian business people will participate. The exhibition will feature four leading sectors, namely energy, food and consumer goods, strategic industry and defence, and health.

Several Indonesian state-owned and private companies that will be involved, such as PT Pertamina, Biofarma, DEFEND ID, and PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN III), as well as PT Energi Mega Persada (EMP), PT Kalbe, Tirta Ayu Spa, PT Dami Sariwana, PT Solusi Tani Makmur, and Indesso Aroma, already have a strong track record in the African market.

Pertamina, for example, has exported its products and services to a number of African countries such as Algeria, Namibia, Tanzania, Gabon, Nigeria, and Angola. PT Solusi Tani Makmur has also exported its organic fertiliser products to Mozambique. While other companies such as Biofarma, Indesso Aroma, and Tirta Ayu Spa have also established business partnerships with various countries in Africa.

PT Patra Jasa's Marketing & Operations Director, Litta Ariesca, revealed the huge potential in the energy sector in Africa. ‘One of them is Kenya, which has the eighth largest geothermal energy potential in the world,‘ she said on Friday, 30 August 2024, as quoted from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ website.

Likewise, Biofarma, Indonesia's national pharmaceutical company, has exported to 50 African countries, including Kenya, Liberia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. Meanwhile, a private Indonesian company with a track record in Africa is PT Solusi Tani Makmur, which has exported its organic fertiliser products to Mozambique. Indesso Aroma, Tirta Ayu Spa, and PT Dami Sariwana have also marketed their products and have business partners in Africa.

Apart from large companies, Indonesia Pavilion in this exhibition will also feature more than 15 MSME players engaged in the furniture, fashion, handicrafts, and processed food sectors. These MSME players are fostered by Bank Indonesia, BNI, the Directorate General of Customs of the Ministry of Finance, and HIPMI Womenpreneur, who are ready to show their superior products and look for potential business partners in Africa.

To initiate the implementation of this business exhibition activity, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with Indonesian Representatives, Trade Attaches, and ITPCs in the African region has facilitated a series of business cooperation explorations between Indonesian business actors and business actors from the African region from July to early August 2024.

The effort was made through the implementation of virtual business matching which was attended by 14 companies and around 50 Indonesian MSME players, as well as 15 potential buyers from Africa. The enthusiasm of African business players to establish cooperation with Indonesian business players was seen, both as exporters/aggregators, technology project cooperation, and human resource training cooperation.

There was also interest from African businesses to explore the investment potential of Indonesian companies to set up factories in Africa. Products that are in high demand by African businesses are skincare, hijab, coffee, processed food, and custom furniture.

With the spirit of increasing Indonesia-Africa two-ways trade, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs invited the participation of representatives from African countries, the Republic of Zimbabwe and the United Republic of Tanzania to open booths at this business exhibition.

For information, bilateral trade between Indonesia and Zimbabwe in 2023 amounted to 85.1 million US dollars with an upward trend of 5.32 per cent in the last five years. While with Tanzania in the same year was recorded at 317.8 million US dollars with an upward trend of 5.21 per cent in the last five years.

Indonesian leading commodities to Zimbabwe are textiles, household appliances, and food products, while with Tanzania Indonesia's leading commodities are palm oil, paper, textiles, and chemical products. This exhibition is expected to further open opportunities for cooperation and collaboration for efforts to increase trade between the two regions.