Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – Indonesia has promoted advantages of its digital economy and investment in the technological innovation sector in a discussion under the theme 'Emerging Tech in Asia' in San Francisco, the U.S., according to the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jakarta, Wednesday.

Indonesia has very rapid progress in the field of digital technology, Indonesian Consul General in San Francisco Prasetyo Hadi said in the discussion at the invitation of the Asia Society Northern California.

“We also have many new innovations in technology developed by young Indonesians. We also see how digital technology has been growing rapidly and playing an important role in dealing with various problems during the Covid-19 pandemic," Prasetyo Hadi explained.

Indonesia's digital economy potential is the largest in Southeast Asia and occupies the 6th position in the world, Prasetyo said, adding that Indonesia has more than 2,000 startup companies, three decacorns, and more than seven unicorns.

"The Indonesian government has been struggling to make all Indonesian people gain inclusive digital access, encourage increased digitalization in all sectors, including supporting micro, small and medium businesses," he said.

According to the consul general, various programs and efforts have been made by the government through the expansion of cooperation with a number of leading universities and IT companies in the world, in the form of a digital capacity building program in a number of circles, in collaboration with various universities and leading companies in the field of information and technology.

"In the next 15 years, Indonesia would need around nine million digital talents in the IT sector, or every year Indonesia needs around 600,000 digital talents. We are currently working with a number of parties such as with Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon," he noted.

Prasetyo further said Indonesia also continues making efforts to attract investors to Indonesia to invest and partner with a number of Indonesian startups.

He likewise hoped for more cooperation with various parties in the United States, especially those in the jurisdiction of the Indonesian Consulate General in San Francisco, in order to increase the capacity of Indonesia's digital talents program.

The discussion was also used by the consul general to explain the roles, themes and priority agendas carried by Indonesia in the G-20 presidency and the G20 Summit in Bali on November 15-16, 2022, with the main discussions on global health architecture, digital transformation and renewable energy transition.

The interactive panel discussion under theme 'Emerging Tech in Asia' was held at the Medill School of Journalism San Francisco on May 19, 2022.

Reporting by Indonesia Window