"Indonesia and South Africa can cooperate in plenty of potential aspects, such as supply chain, marketing, transfer of research and technology, and the strengthening of export policy strategies," Minister Masduki explained in Jakarta on Thursday.
The minister observed that South Africa is a very promising market for the Indonesian manufacturing industry.
He also noted that the value of Indonesian exports to South Africa reached US$1 million in 2022, with the goods shipped comprising several highly promising products, such as palm oil-based commodities, soaps, coffee, motorized vehicles, pipes, sauces, paper, and rubber goods.
To bolster exports, the ministry's SMESCO Indonesia has built a hub at a strategic location in Nusa Dua, Bali province, in the hopes of providing entrepreneurs and investors with a center for innovation and collaboration, he informed.
"To ensure the sustainable success and growth of MSMEs, it is important for us to support them by providing the required resources," he said.
He then expressed the hope that Indonesia and South Africa would be able to identify new cooperation opportunities that are focused on helping MSME players develop their businesses.
"Hopefully, in the future, both countries will cooperate in developing supply chain infrastructure, or in other matters, to empower MSMEs, so they can boost the national economy of the two countries," he said.
Meanwhile, the leader of the South African delegation, Sipho Shoba, said that his party wanted to capture a detailed picture of the wholesale sector in Indonesia.
Shoba, an official with the South African Wholesale and Retail Sector Education and Training Authority, informed that the delegates also aimed to identify common problems faced by MSMEs, while obtaining information on how Indonesia supports its MSME players.
In addition, the delegation sought to find applicable alternative solutions to problems faced by actors in the wholesale and retail sector, Shoba added.
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Translator: Kuntum Khaira, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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