Indonesia is keen to intensify trade and investment cooperation with Mozambique following Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi’s visit to the African country on Tuesday.

“Businessmen from Indonesia and Mozambique should utilize all opportunities to revitalize trade and investment relations, which had weakened last year,” Minister Marsudi stated during an Indonesia-Mozambique business forum in Maputo, Mozambique, as quoted by the ministry’s official website here on Wednesday.

At the forum, Minister Marsudi highlighted the economic reforms in Indonesia and offered several Indonesian industry products to Mozambique, such as railway carriages, since the latter is developing its railway transportation infrastructure.

Railway carriages made in Indonesia are of good quality and have been exported to several countries, Marsudi remarked. “Indonesia is ready to support the railway transportation system being built by Mozambique.”

Marsudi also offered cooperation to process Mozambique’s cotton products in Indonesian textile companies and expected to further enhance cooperation through the transfer of capacity and investment cooperation in the textile industry. “Mozambique requires several strategic industry products, and I believe Indonesian companies are ready to cooperate.”

More than 50 business enterprises of Mozambique attended the forum to explore opportunities. The enterprises expressed interest in some products, such as the railway carriages of Indonesian state-owned train manufacturer PT. INKA and cargo ships of state-owned ship builder PT. PAL.

African enterprises also showed interest in the tourism industry to develop tourism islands and travel agencies. One of the challenges faced in the cooperation with Mozambique was financing, Marsudi pointed out.

The representative of Indonesia Eximbank received a warm welcome during the forum by the businessmen and government representatives of Mozambique to offer financing assistance.

Source: Netral English