Jokowi Officially Opens Indonesia-Africa Forum 2024, Commitment to Increasing North-South Cooperation
Jakarta – President Joko Widodo officially opened the 2nd Indonesia-Africa Forum (IAF) held in Bali, bringing new enthusiasm to strengthen relations between Indonesia and African countries.
In his speech, President Jokowi emphasized that Indonesia is ready to be a reliable partner for Africa in various development agendas.
“Indonesia is ready to partner with anyone in the African region to raise the development agenda to a higher level,” said Jokowi at the opening session, Monday (2/9).
President Jokowi also conveyed the important achievements of this forum, namely the increase in the value of business agreements between Indonesia and African countries.
“In this IAF, we have recorded business deals worth 3.5 billion US dollars. This amount has increased 6 times compared to the first IAF held in 2018,” he said.
This achievement, according to Jokowi, is in line with Indonesia’s commitment to strengthening North-South cooperation as a form of global solidarity.
The 2nd IAF carries the theme “Bandung Spirit for Africa’s Agenda 2063,” which again reminds of the historical closeness between Indonesia and Africa since the 1955 Asia-Africa Conference.
This forum highlights four priority sectors, namely food security, energy, health, and minerals, which are expected to be the driving force for shared progress.
Deputy Foreign Minister Pahala Mansury added that the 2nd IAF provides a great opportunity for Indonesia and African countries to deepen cooperation in these sectors.
“African countries have great potential to diversify Indonesia’s export and investment markets,” Pahala said.
In addition to business agreements, this forum is also expected to produce several memorandums of understanding (MoU) on cooperation that will encourage mutually beneficial economic growth.
“The 2nd IAF is expected to produce MoUs with a total value of US$ 3.5 billion, which will certainly strengthen the foundation of economic cooperation between Indonesia and Africa,” Pahala added.
In addition, the High-Level Forum on Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships (HLF-MSP) 2024 held simultaneously with the 2nd IAF also confirmed Indonesia’s position as a leader in achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Director of Foreign Policy and International Development Cooperation at the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas, Hendra Wahanu Prabandani, called this forum real evidence of Indonesia’s leadership in fostering multi-party partnerships.
“This forum is a catalyst for innovative solutions in facing global challenges, as well as strengthening Indonesia’s role as a leader in efforts to achieve the SDGs,” explained Hendra.
With the theme “Strengthening Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships: Towards a Transformative Change,” HLF-MSP 2024 is expected to continue Indonesia’s success in leading the world forum and become a manifestation of Indonesia’s commitment to sustainable and inclusive development.
“We want to convey the importance of collaboration between stakeholders to ensure inclusive cooperation and find innovative solutions to increasingly complex global problems,” Hendra concluded.
These two forums, the 2nd IAF and HLF-MSP 2024, not only strengthen diplomatic relations between Indonesia and African countries, but also affirm Indonesia’s commitment to fighting for justice and inclusiveness in international cooperation.
Through this success, Indonesia has further strengthened its position as a global leader that is active in advancing South-South cooperation and providing solutions to complex global challenges.
