"We are trying to work on focusing on the IAF. Next year, we will focus more on infrastructure issues, and therefore, in 2019, we plan to organize Indonesia-Africa Infrastructure Dialog," Marsudi stated here on Tuesday.
According to the minister, cooperation in infrastructure field has a great potential that can be worked out in economic relations between Indonesia and African countries.
"One of the great potentials that can be worked together is infrastructure; therefore, next year, we want to focus on this field," she remarked.
Meanwhile, the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, stated that the Government of Indonesia is ready to strengthen cooperation in infrastructure development with African countries.
One form of Indonesia`s efforts to strengthen the cooperation is through the establishment of Indonesian Task Force Infrastructure to Africa.
According to Pandjaitan, the government, through the Coordinating Ministry, has initiated the establishment of the task force.
"The Indonesian government will form a task force and will visit some potential African countries. I think it will be realized soon," he revealed.
The task force, according to him, serves as an agency that solves every problem and also promotes all potentials. The organization consists of representatives from the government, state-owned enterprises (SOEs), private sectors, and national banks.
"We have to focus. The formation of the task force to Africa is to help solve the problem. We want everything to be easy, and the regulation will be adjusted. We are preparing financing mechanism. It is important as it is based on the national interest, and transparency is a must," he pointed out.
"PT INKA will have a railway project in Africa, as well as PT WIKA and other state-owned construction companies," Pandjaitan noted.
The African countries which have the potential for infrastructure projects include Senegal, Nigeria, Mozambique, Zambia, and Algeria.
The IAF 2018 aims to strengthen friendship and enhance economic cooperation between Indonesia and African countries.
(KR-LWA/INE/B003)
(T.SYS/B/KR-BSR/B003)
Reporter: SYSTEM
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
