ABUJA – The volume of bilateral trade between Nigeria and Indonesia has risen from 1.2 billion dollars in 2009 to 3.6 billion dollars in 2013, Amb. Sudirman Haseng, the Indonesian Ambassador said.
Haseng, who is the outgoing ambassador of Indonesia, stated this on Friday in Abuja during a valedictory visit to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Aminu Wali.
The ambassador said “during my four years here, we managed to increase the volume of trade almost three fold from 1.2 billion dollars to 3.6 billion dollars.
He added that “our target is that in 2015, the volume of trade will reach five billion dollars.’’
The envoy also informed his host that more Indonesian companies were coming to Nigeria as a choice destination for quality investment.
He said “from 12 companies in 2010 when I arrived here, we now have 28 Indonesian companies doing business in Nigeria.
“A lot of businessman and manufacturers are asking questions on how to come to Nigeria and in the coming years, I know more Indonesian companies will come to Nigeria.’’
In his remarks, Wali commended the Indonesian envoy for doing a great job at promoting economic investments for both countries.
The minister said Nigeria and Indonesia shared many things in common, including being active members of D8, a group of developing countries which formed an economic development alliance in 1997.
He said both countries are members of the South -South Cooperation, aimed at bringing developing countries to work together to find solutions to common development challenges.
Indonesia’s investments in Nigeria are visible in the food and beverage sector.
Brands such as Indomie, Nutric C, Mayora and Extra Joss are all established names in Nigeria.
Later, Haseng told journalists that Nigeria and Indonesia have signed an MoU on drug trafficking to curtail trafficking in prohibited drugs and substances, in addition
to protecting the future generation.
He said Indonesia had no Prisoners Transfer Agreement (PTA) with any country to swap convicted persons, but said the country was currently exploring that possibility.
According to a report issued in June by the Committee on Foreign Relations at the just concluded National Conference, 96 Nigerians are currently serving jail terms in Indonesia prisons.
The ambassador however could not corroborate this figure although he acknowledged that many Nigerians are in Indonesian prisons for drug-related offences, which attracts death penalty in that country.
“But I will say that in the last five years, there has been a decline of Nigerian prisoners in Indonesia.
“This happened after the two governments organised a symposium to find out the solution to this problem (trafficking in drugs),’’
