Dr. Usra Harahap, Indonesia’s ambassador to Nigeria, has said that his country is keen to strengthen ties with the Enugu State government in trade, investment, and other socio-economic spheres that would benefit both sides.
On Monday, Dr. Usra made this announcement while hosting Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State for a business and working visit at the Government House in Enugu.
Ambassador noted that investments in the state and frequent exchange of contacts would not only cement the bilateral ties, but equally create more opportunities for mutual growth and prospects of further investments in the future while exploring the areas of interest that could lead to a productive partnership between Enugu State and Indonesia.
The opportunities for cooperation between Indonesia and Enugu State are vast and cover a wide range of fields. The first area where we anticipate significant development is in trade and investment. Increased trade, information sharing, and joint investment projects would be beneficial for our country.
We consider ways in which we can expand our trade. To that end, I’d like to invite Governor Peter Mbah and the business community of Enugu to the upcoming Trade Expo in Indonesia, which will take place from October 18th through the 22nd, 2023.
For example, he said, “This Expo will provide the unique platform for you to meet the Indonesia businessmen and to learn about our services and business opportunities that can be beneficial to both of us.”
In addition to the “trade value between Indonesia and Nigeria is about $4.5 billion, of which the total import amount to $4.3 billion with export at only $5 million,” Indonesian Ambassador Usra stated that his country was interested in investing in the energy and mining sectors of the state. He also noted that Enugu was rich in mineral resources, agriculture, and tourism.
Many sectors, including energy, agriculture, healthcare, and the creative economy, are of particular interest to Indonesia. Indonesia’s government has responded by looking for business opportunities in the African continent. There are currently 35 companies in Africa with a total value of $5 billion that were established by the Indonesian government. Mining, the food and beverage industry, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, construction, textiles, and agriculture are all good places to put money.
We see great opportunity in the agricultural sector in your area and plan to work with companies in Enugu State and Indonesia on projects involving food processing, agricultural machinery, and irrigation. He also mentioned that with Indonesia’s help, your state could boost agricultural output and guarantee food security.
In addition, he disclosed that the Indonesian government was planning to work with the state in the area of education through a scholarship programme to bring the state’s brightest students to Indonesia to complete their post-secondary education.
Dr. Mbah, governor of the state, responded to the ambassador’s visit by saying his administration was ready to partner with Indonesian investors and had equally provided the enabling environment to welcome them to the state, praising the ambassador and his team for picking special economic interest in the state.
The governor insisted that numerous investment opportunities existed in the state, citing the state’s sector-based productivity belt, minerals and energy sector, and abundant deposits of coal, oil, and gas.
Mbah urged the ambassador to consider Enugu as a prime investment destination, saying that the state’s government had already put in place measures to reduce uncertainty surrounding financial transactions.
Limestone, gypsum, clay mineral, glass sand, and one of the cleanest coal deposit in the world are just some of the natural resources he mentioned that can be found in Enugu State.
He reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to attracting investment, increasing the GDP from its current $4.4 billion to $30 billion, ending poverty, and turning the state into a tourist mecca through the policies that are already in place.
The governor urged investors to take advantage of the government’s offer to invest in agriculture and agro-allied industrialization, saying that under his leadership, Enugu State had been named one of the safest states to do business in terms of security.
He insisted that over 300,000 acres of land had been set aside as a special economic zone to attract agro-allied processing businesses and other investors.
Source: Journalist101.com
