By Nse Anthony-Uko
(Sundiata Post) — ‘Nigeria is Indonesian’s second biggest trading partner in Africa, where South Africa is the first. The trade per annum, between Indonesia and Africa as at 2016, is $7.6 billion out of which trade with Nigeria was $2.5 billion. South Africa accounts for $3.5 billion’.
Nigeria is out to upstage South Africa as No 1 trading partner in Africa, Ishmael Balogun, CEO Goldmine Global Services Limited said at a press interactive forum organised to discuss Indonesian-African Forum billed to hold in Bali, Indonesia in April 2018.
According to Balogun, “Nigeria is Indonesian’s second biggest trading partner in Africa, where South Africa is the first. The trade per annum, between Indonesia and Africa as at 2016, is $7.6 billion out of which trade with Nigeria was $2.5 billion. South Africa accounts for $3.5 billion. However, Africa still has great business and investment opportunities that remain untapped.”
Based on the potentials available in Africa (in Nigeria in particular and Indonesia), Goldmine Global Services Limited in partnership with the Indonesian Trade Promotion Centre (ITPC) Lagos and its tour partner, The Honeymooner, are organizing a 7-day tour to the Indonesian- African Forum billed for April 7 to 14, 2018. The Forum is an initiative of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to further promote sustainable trade and investment relationship between Indonesia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Bagus Wicaksena, Director Indonesian Trade Promotion Centre, Lagos said: “We will give our best support to the Indonesian-African Forum which is a new idea in Indonesia.”
According to him, “The Forum is taking place in Bali because the city is well known all over the world – it is one of Indonesian’s windows for tourism, trade and investment. So we are bringing in three issues –tourism, trade and investment.
“This is a very good opportunity for Indonesia and African countries to come up with issues and strengthen their economic potentials”.
Indonesia’s relationship with Africa began in 1955 and with Nigeria in 1965. Africa is a potential market for Indonesian consumer goods such as palm oil garments, technical cooperation, motorized vehicles which are among several products that could be in demand in markets in sub-Saharan Africa.
And Africa is swarming with raw materials Indonesian may need for its manufacturing industries. More than 20 Indonesian companies, including Indorama, Orange Drugs and Kalbe Farma, Tolaram Group and some others, have partnered with Nigerian firms and have already invested in Africa.
Said Ishmael Balogun: “There is N5 billion modular refineries in Akwa Ibom, N6 billion investment between Tolaram Group and Kellogs at the Lekki Trade Zone, Indomine instant noodles, and the manufacturer, Indofood Sukses Makmur, has six plants in Africa with the biggest in Nigeria.”
He said the Indonesian-African Forum is therefore geared towards exploring various economic opportunities to strengthen technical cooperation, and to enhance existing partnership between both countries.”The forum intends to provide a unique opportunity for around 550 people from Indonesia business community, high level government officials and other stakeholders, to gather together, interact and explore ways to establish concrete economic cooperation and expand business network,” Balogun said.
