TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - World Bank’s Chief Economist of the East Asia and Pacific Region Aaditya Mattoo in the economic update briefing on Tuesday conveyed optimism about Indonesia’s economy that could potentially grow close to 5 percent in 2022.

Citing Antaranews, he said “We are optimistic that Indonesia’s economic growth next year can come close to 5 percent and it is an improvement itself,” he said in Jakarta.

He said the government’s attempt at handling the Covid-19 pandemic will be a major factor in pushing for economic growth, especially through a hybrid mobility restriction policy that balances public health and the economy.

The mass-vaccinations pushed by the government since early this year is also said to have contributed to the positive economic projection. “This virus will not disappear but these steps can help evoke the economy.”

However, Mattoo reminded the government that there still remains a number of challenges facing the Indonesian public in the form of the even distribution of vaccines and the spending needed to roll out the vaccinations for Indonesia’s large population.

“This is a very decentralized country which forces them to do more to handle issues related to distribution and the vaccination budget,” he added.

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