Bali – Indonesia successfully held the 2nd Indonesia Africa Forum (IAF) in Nusa Dua, Bali safely and smoothly. The 2nd IAF was attended by six heads of state or government from the African continent, and succeeded in strengthening economic diplomacy, trade cooperation, and opening up non-traditional market access between Indonesia and African countries.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Pahala N. Mansury, said that there were four priority issues discussed in IAF 2024, namely food security, energy security, health security, and mineral security.
“In food security, Indonesia and Africa have high food needs. In addition, they have the potential for extensive land and good climate. Food security has the potential for trade and food supply chains, fertilizers, and the development of biofuels,” explained Pahala.
Meanwhile, regarding the issue of energy security, Pahala said that Africa could be a source of energy (oil and gas), which on the other hand could also develop renewable energy cooperation with Indonesia.
For health resilience, Pahala said that both Indonesia and African countries have high needs for drugs, vaccines and medical devices or alkes. This has the potential to open up trade in drugs, vaccines and alkes, as well as joint development and production in the health sector.
Finally, on the issue of mineral security, Pahala said that Indonesia and African countries have the potential to develop a supply chain for the production of components and batteries for electric vehicles (EVs).
“The 2nd IAF has produced a G-to-G agreement, namely bilateral cooperation in various sectors between Indonesia and African countries, then business deals, business agreements between the private sector, and a grand design, namely Development Cooperation with Africa 2024-2029,” he said.
On a different occasion, the Director of Africa at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dewi Justicia Meidiwaty, explained that the results of the 2nd IAF were a momentum to strengthen bilateral relations and create new opportunities for both parties in achieving sustainable development goals.
As a main outcome, the High-Level Forum produced a “chair’s summary” summarizing ideas and recommendations from the discussions, which can serve as a catalyst for collective efforts towards a more inclusive and sustainable global transformation.
