He conveyed that the development of national strategic projects (PSNs) would be a vital aspect of his administration's endeavors to achieve the expected economic growth.
Speaking at the launch of the One 2.0 Map Policy Geoportal here on Thursday, he said that he even jokingly placed a bet on the economic growth figure during a meeting with his counterparts from a friendly country.
"Several ministers from a country have placed a bet on it with me," he informed, adding that they promised to invite him to a fine dining experience if eight percent growth is achieved once during his presidential term.
Earlier, Coordinating Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto said that Indonesia's economic growth is expected to exceed five percent this year, but it could be higher than that, Prabowo said.
"We must be brave to put a higher target. I am optimistic that we can achieve eight percent," he said, adding that Indonesia has abundant natural resources and tremendous potential to develop rapidly.
While speaking at the Mandiri Investment Forum 2024 in Jakarta on March 5, Prabowo expressed optimism that Indonesia's economy can grow by up to eight percent or higher.
He then explained what Indonesia must do to achieve this growth: eradicating poverty and creating more jobs.
State-owned enterprises must contribute to the government's efforts to achieve the goals, he added.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has repeatedly underlined the need to avoid the middle-income trap.
In this context, she emphasized that boosting productivity is of the utmost importance for Indonesia to avoid the trap.
"We want Indonesia to avoid the middle-income trap. Thus, productivity is the most important thing. A country cannot grow only by increasing consumption without creating productivity," she said recently.
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Translator: Bayu S, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
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