TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - PT Astra International Tbk. has invested US$150 million in an application-based on-demand service Gojek. Astra hoped its collaboration with Gojek will bring added value to the business of Astra and accelerate its initiative in the digital sector.

"We are enthusiastic to be part of Gojek. Gojek is the main player in the Indonesian digital economy," Prijo Sugiarto, president director of PT Astra International Tbk., said on Monday.

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He said by combining the expertise of Astra in the automotive field and Gojek's wide coverage of its consumers, the two companies could explore various cooperation opportunities to increase productivity and push people to enter formal economic sectors, as well as support innovation of products and services to create a new market. "All efforts are being made to boost Indonesia's economic growth," he noted.

He stressed Gojek had created work for millions of people in Indonesia. More than one million people have been registered as Gojek drivers, while more than 125,000 have become its business partners and 30,000 have become providers of services using the Gojek platform, which provides various kinds of services, including transportation, goods and food delivery services, cleaning services, as well as payment services.

"We are proud to be able to support national champions such as Gojek that has the social mission of increasing the welfare of the Indonesian people. This is in line with Astra's commitment to supporting the development of micro, small and medium businesses (UMKM) in Indonesia. Technology plays an important role in achieving the goal, and we believe in the transformation power of a company that focusses on digital business such as Gojek," he mentioned.

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Gojek Founder and Chief Executive Officer Nadiem Makarim said the trust that Astra, as one of the top companies in Indonesia, had placed on Gojek served as a recognition of the success of its strategy. "Both Astra and Gojek were established with a mission to advance Indonesia through community empowerment. By collaborating, we can accelerate economic development and improve the livelihood of millions in the country," he remarked.

Gojek's President and Co-Founder Andre Soelistyo added Astra would give much support, in line with the acceleration of the company's future innovation. "We believe Gojek will get a lot of benefit from Astra's knowledge and operational expertise," he maintained.

ANTARA