Concrete collaboration with Africa will be carried out by Indonesia which is currently finalizing a grand design of development for the next five years for the continent.

Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – Indonesian President Joko Widodo said that Indonesia will realize a concrete collaboration with Africa through a grand design of development for the next five years.

The president made the remarks in his press statement after a bilateral meeting with Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan at the Dar Es Salaam State House on Tuesday (Aug. 22), according to the Indonesian Cabinet Secretariat in a written statement as quoted by Indonesia Window on Wednesday.

“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.

The president further said that one of the development plans is that in the agricultural sector in Tanzania. "One of them is through the Farmer's Agriculture revitalization plan and the Rural Training Center in Morogoro Tanzania," he explained.

In addition to the agricultural sector, the head of state also emphasized Indonesia's commitment to building health resilience in Tanzania by meeting the need for pharmaceutical products in that African country.

"Indonesia is committed to being part of building Tanzania's health resilience. Indonesian pharmaceutical companies will export their first products to Tanzania as a form of contribution to meet the needs of Tanzanian pharmaceutical products," he said.

President Jokowi also mentioned that through the bilateral meeting, Indonesia wanted to increase investment value 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.

In addition, the president also pushed for the formation of a preferential trade agreement (PTA) between Indonesia and Tanzania to optimize the trade potential of the two countries.

“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 meeting, 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 Widodo invited a team from Tanzania to visit Indonesia’s capital 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 noted.

Editing by Indonesia Window