Namibia and Indonesia are in the process of mapping out and exploring new areas of cooperation.
This is in line with Indonesia's economic cooperation with Africa, aimed at transforming and establishing relations into economic cooperation for mutual benefits between the two countries.
A business delegation from Indonesia that is currently in Namibia held a business forum with key players in various sectors of the economy.
Indonesia and Namibia have been strengthening their economic partnership through bilateral relations since 1991. The last few years have seen these bilateral relations flourish.
Addressing the forum, the Indonesian Ambassador to Namibia, Wisnu Edi Pratignyo, said Namibia holds a position as a potential and promising economic partner for Indonesia on the African continent.
He, however, indicated that there are challenges that the two countries still need to address while encouraging commendable economic engagement.
“Namibia plays an important role as an entrance gate for market access to its neighbouring countries, such as Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Angola. Our bilateral ties are still low, but there are wide opportunities to explore from both sides. Over the past five years, the economic relations between Namibia and Indonesia have steadily improved, heading into a promising future.”
Since 2019, trading between the two countries has been on a steady rise, with the trading volume between the two countries standing at N$10,6 million in 2023, marking a 26 percent increase from the previous year.
Indonesia has investment opportunities in the agro-industry, the economic zone, real estate, infrastructure, renewable energy, and tourism.
The Southeast Asian country also invited Namibian investors to unlock their business opportunities by applying for relevant visas depending on their needs.
Indonesia offers various types of visas, ranging from tourist visas to business visas, investor visas, social visas, and cultural visas. The emphasis is on business and investor visas, which unlock unlimited business and investment opportunities for Namibians in various sectors.
Sub-Saharan African countries house 34 Indonesian companies venturing into various sectors, such as oil and gas, textiles, palm oil plantations, medicine, cosmetics, and appliances, among others.
Indonesia will host the second Indonesia-Africa Forum in September this year. The forum is motivated by Indonesia's desire to transform close and cordial relations with Africa into concrete economic cooperation and to enhance technical cooperation among developing countries.