"Politically Indonesia has been widely known for a long time in Africa. The challenge for the country now is realizing the concept of economic cooperation with African countries including my country (Mozambique)," Mozambique`s Foreign Minister Oldemiro Baloi said on the sidelines of his meeting with Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa here on Monday.
He hoped increased cooperation with Indonesia could promote development efforts in various sectors such as economic, cultural and security.
Marty meanwhile said there are a lot of sectors where the two countries could cooperate in such as economic, trade and investment.
"In the meeting just now we also talked about technical cooperation in the field of agriculture, fisheries and others," he said.
"We also discussed possibilities to exchange students," he added.
According to foreign ministry data trade between the two countries in the past few years had been positive despite a drop in 2012 due to global economic crisis.
Total trade in 2012 reached US$120.3 million down from US$130 million in 2011.
Cooperation between the two countries have also covered other areas such as women`s empowerment, police, research and technology, small and medium credit and industry.
Minister Baloi said he would benefit much from his visit to Indonesia as he could understand better about the economic development road map and plans in the Asia Pacific region.
"We have an opportunity to know about issues in the Asia Pacific region and so could understand better about the region and see the potentials they have and the areas of development we could participate in," he said.
Indonesia has good diplomatic relations with African countries in view of the Asia-Africa Conference in Bandung, West Java, in 1955, which was the landmark support from Indonesia to developments in the African countries.
The 50-years long good relationship however has not expanded to trade cooperation between the two parties.
In 2011 Indonesia`s trade with the sub-Sahara African countries totaling 42 countries except North African countries reached only US$9.5 billion.
This is small as the country`s trade with India at the time already reached US$17.6 billion.
"The problem lies in the long perception held by peoples of the two countries. Most Indonesian people think African countries are poor and prone to political conflicts while most African people think Indonesia is too far and it is difficult to do business there," the directo of African Affairs of the Directorate General of Asia Pacific and Africa, Larson Simbolong said.
Contrary to what many Indonesians think of Africa, he said, African countries` economy has grown fast in the past few years including that of Angola, Nigeria, Rwanda and Ethiopia.
Quoting analysts` reports published by The Economists and the International Monetary Fund seven African countries namely Ehiopia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Congo, Ghana, Zambia and Nigeria would become part of the 10 countries that would record the fastest economic growth from 2011 to 2015.
Following economic crisis in traditional markets such as the US and the European countries Indonesia needs to increase its economic cooperation with non-traditional countries such as African countries, he said.
"This is a good opportunity for Indonesia to boost economic and trade cooperation with African countries. The spirit of unity of the Asia-Africa Conference in 1955 must be realized in mutual economic relations," he said.
Several commodities that have market potentials in the Sub-Sahara Africa include food, textile, crude palm oil, paper products, furniture and lubricating oil.
"An Indonesian instant noodle brand has been well known in Nigeria and so is CN235 aircraft produced by PT Dirgantara Indonesia that has now expanded to Burkina Faso and Senegal," Larso said.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2013
