Indonesia, Africa to Enhance Cooperation in Various Sectors

Jakarta, VIVA – The Indonesian Foreign Ministry conveyed the government’s commitment to enhancing cooperation with African countries, particularly in the health and energy sectors, ahead of the 2nd Indonesia-Africa Forum (IAF).

"Indonesia is committed to enhancing development cooperation with African countries as an equal and reliable partner," stated Siti Nugraha Mauludiah, the ministry’s Director General of Information and Public Diplomacy, in a statement from her office on Sunday.

She stated that Indonesia plays an active role in international development cooperation among developing countries, including those in Africa.

In the past decade, Indonesia has implemented around 60 South-South and Triangular Cooperation (KSST) programs involving approximately 500 participants from the African region, she remarked.

The cooperation covers various leading sectors, including agriculture, fisheries and maritime affairs, health, energy, good governance, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), infrastructure development, disaster risk management, women's empowerment, and trade and investment.

Such initiatives further strengthen Indonesia's position in the international level as a newly recognized donor country, Mauludiah said.

"Currently Indonesia is getting more international recognition as a reliable development partner for developing countries, a reliable southern provider," she stated.

Indonesia’s commitment is realized through the establishment of the International Development Cooperation Fund (LDKPI), or Indonesia AID, in 2019, as a one-stop institution for distributing development assistance to partner countries, she added.

Since its establishment, Indonesia's development cooperation has reached 23 of the 54 countries in Africa, or approximately 42 percent of the region, focusing on food security, health, and energy sectors, Mauludiah highlighted.

In the food security sector, Indonesia has supported the procurement of food supplies to mitigate the impact of drought in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Madagascar, as well as revitalization programs for several agricultural training centers in Gambia and Tanzania.

In the health sector, Indonesia has donated medicines and medical devices produced by state-owned pharmaceutical company Kimia Farma to Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

In 2023, Indonesia distributed 1,580,000 doses of the Pentavalent Vaccine, produced by the state-run pharmaceutical company Bio Farma, to Nigeria in two stages.

In the energy sector, Indonesia provided training to build solar energy capacity in Namibia, Mozambique, Sudan, Senegal, and Tanzania.

The 2nd Indonesia-Africa Forum (IAF) will be held from September 1-3, 2024, with the theme "Bandung Spirit for Africa's 2063 Agenda."

The forum aims to strengthen concrete relations between Indonesia and Africa, fostering shared prosperity.