Jokowi Urges Asia-Africa Countries to Strengthen Cooperation

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo hoped that the Asia-Africa Conference could strengthen cooperation between countries from both regions. According to Jokowi, both Asia and Africa regions have tremendous potential with a combined gross domestic product (GDP) reaching equals to 51 percent of the world’s GDP.

Jokowi said that Asia's economic growth reaches an average of 4.9 percent while African economic growth was recorded at 4.3 percent. "Investment [increase] is also quite high. The increase showed that Asian and African countries play an important role in the world economy," Jokowi said in the Asia-Africa Business Summit event at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) on Tuesday, April 21, 2015.

The President also highlighted the challenges of that must be faced by most Asian and African countries, such as poverty and inflation. Jokowi said that 75 percent of the population in both regions is mostly poor. Meanwhile, the average inflation rate of African countries was recorded at 6.6 percent, which is higher compared to 4.7 percent and 4.6 percent recorded in Asian countries and ASEAN member states, respectively.

Jokowi also invites Asian and African countries to improve an investment-friendly economy system and policy. The president also explained that Indonesia has managed to simplify licensing process for investments and established a better data management system in bureaucratic governance.

ALI HIDAYAT