Jakarta – The giant sea wall construction project designed to protect the northern coastal areas of Java Island from the threat of tidal flooding and climate change has now become a magnet for foreign investors. The government stated that a number of countries have shown serious interest in participating in funding and implementing the national strategic project.
The Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development (Menko IPK), Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY), revealed that the giant sea wall project has received positive attention in various international forums. In his statement, he said that countries such as China, South Korea, Japan, the Middle East, and the Netherlands have expressed their interest. This interest emerged at the International Conference on Infrastructure and various other bilateral meetings.
According to AHY, the government’s comprehensive approach and courage in designing climate-adaptive infrastructure are the main attractions for potential investors. He said that this opportunity for cooperation is a positive signal for the growing global trust in Indonesia’s ability to manage large-scale projects.
In line with AHY, Minister of State Secretary (Mensesneg) Prasetyo Hadi also confirmed that foreign investors have expressed interest in this project, especially those located in the northern region of Java. He said that representatives from China and South Korea explicitly expressed their interest in official forums. One forum that became an important momentum was the Indonesia-Korea Forum which took place recently.
Prasetyo emphasized that the interest was not just discourse, but had been followed up with technical exploration and discussion of the form of investment collaboration. He believes that this project will not only protect millions of coastal communities, but also open up new jobs and encourage technology transfer from international partners to local workers.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Economic Relations of the Netherlands, Michiel Sweers, also voiced his country’s commitment to take part in the construction of this sea wall. He emphasized that the Netherlands has long experience in coastal area management and sea wall engineering. Sweers said that his party has established a partnership with Indonesia to design and prepare for the implementation of this project.
“We have been collaborating with Indonesian partners, partnering, co-designing, and we really want to be part of the project that will be initiated under this new government to protect the coast of Java in an integrated way,” Sweers said in one of the bilateral sessions.
The government is optimistic that the presence of foreign investors in this project will accelerate the realization of development, while strengthening the resilience of Indonesia’s coastal areas to the threat of disasters and climate crises in the future.
