Ministry Calls on US Businessmen to Invest in Digital Economy
28 September 2018 15:38 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto has encouraged American investors to make new investments in Indonesia. To date, US investments in the country have mostly been in the extractive industry.
“Thus, we now call for [investments] in the sectors that are ready to face the industrial era 4.0 or digital economy,” said Airlangga in a written statement Tempo received on Friday, September 28.
Airlangga said the government was currently focusing on transforming Indonesia into a digital ecosystem base so as to spur investments in the 4.0 industry. Based on the Making Indonesia 4.0 road map, the five sectors that will become pioneers are food and beverage, textile and clothes, automotive, chemistry, and electronics.
Read: Jokowi Touches on Digital Economy During APEC Summit
The ministry believed the digital ecosystem was a solution to the increasing growth of start-up businesses and small and medium enterprises in the country. “We want the champions from the US, such as Google, Apple, and firms in Silicon Valley. Those are companies that we must propose to [make investments] in Indonesia,” he said.
Airlangga mentioned Apple had realized its investment commitment by developing Apple Developer Academy in Tangerang as the country’s innovation center. They also planned to build other academies in Surabaya and Batam and produce 400 alumni from its one-year program.
The Industry Ministry is presently fostering ties between industrial players from both countries in the sustainable economy field as part of its strategic plans to implement the Making Indonesia 4.0.
Read: Indonesia Can Become SE Asia`s Largest Digital Economy: Jokowi
On the same occasion, American Ambassador to Indonesia Joseph R. Donovan highlighted US committment to securing economic ties between Indonesia and Indo-Pacific. The US contribution is expected to bring prosperity to the people of Indonesia through a partnership with private sectors.
US investments in Indonesia since 2016 to the first semester of 2018 totaled US$3.8 with 1,881 projects, or ranked sixth among other foreign investors in Indonesia.
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