Indonesia seduces Africa with ‘Big Boys’ script Friday, September 6, 2024A general view of the skyline of Jakarta, Indonesia on February 28, 2024. ShutterstockBy LUKE ANAMIBy APOLINARI TAIROIndonesia hosted a gathering of African leaders in Bali this week, trying its luck and following the script of the big boys like China. But the timing was bad, whether intentional or accidental, and fewer African heads of state and government attended, as more than 50 of them were attending a similar but larger forum in China. The 2nd meeting of the Indonesia-Africa Forum (IAF) 2024 concluded on Tuesday, September 3. Rwandan President Paul Kagame was the most notable participant from the East African Community. Tanzania was represented by Zanzibar President Dr Hussein Mwinyi, while Kenya sent Energy and Petroleum Minister Opiyo Wandayi. Kagame was also due to attend the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing later this year. Other key leaders in Bali included Liberian President Joseph Boakai, Ghana’s Nana Akufo-Addo, Swaziland’s Prime Minister Cleopas Dlamini and Zimbabwe’s Vice President Constantino Chiwenga. Indonesia, which normally doesn’t belong to the “big boys” club of China, the US, India, the UK, France, Turkey, South Korea or Russia, has been trying to squeeze some of its trade out of Africa using the old tools of aid, security cooperation, business and Africa summits. In 2019, it set up the Indonesian Agency for International Development (LDKPI), also known as Indonesia Aid. It says its development cooperation has since been expanded to 23 of Africa’s 54 countries, or 42 percent of the region’s countries. In June, Rwanda and Indonesia signed an MoU on political consultations, in the wake of the stepped-up security cooperation. The two countries discussed cooperation between Indonesia and the Rwandan National Police in combating transnational organized crime and enhancing capacity building, according to a statement from both sides. The final forum focused on the ‘Bandung Spirit for Africa’s Agenda 2063’, combining the famous South-South discussions with Africa’s ambition to thrive. “The forum focused on issues related to energy, health, food resilience and mining, with over 1,500 delegates from African and global South countries in attendance,” Mr. Wandayi said. “I held productive bilateral discussions on accelerating the development of the Suswa Geothermal Project with representatives from Kemenlu I, PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy and other partners in Indonesia,” he said. A cooperation agreement was signed in Bali between the Kenya BioVax Institute, a state-owned vaccine producer, and PT Bio Farma, Indonesia’s state-owned vaccine producer. Mr. Wandayi said the deal will provide a framework for technology transfer for human vaccines, as well as workforce development in bio-manufacturing, and technical cooperation between the two countries. Overall, Indonesia said it successfully registered 32 business partnerships worth more than $3.5 billion in business deals from the summit, which at least 29 states sent representatives to. Timelines for implementation were not immediately given, but Indonesians were promoting their country as a fair-dealing nation."Indonesia is increasingly recognized internationally as a reliable development partner for developing countries, a reliable southern supplier," said Siti Nugraha Mauludiah, Director General of Information and Public Diplomacy at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In the area of ​​food security, Indonesia has provided support for the procurement of food supplies to address the impact of drought disasters in Kenya, Ethiopia and Madagascar, according to a brochure shared on Tuesday. In addition, a program for the revitalization of agricultural training centers has been implemented in Gambia and Tanzania. Indonesia signed an investment agreement in the energy sector at the forum with a total investment value of $1.5 billion. “This is certainly a promising achievement of the target of the AIF 2024 agreement for supplies worth $3.5 billion," said Dewi Justicia Meidiwaty, Director for African Affairs, Directorate General of Asian, Pacific and African Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Indonesia’s PT Essa Industries has signed MoUs with the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC), the Tanzania Fertilizer Regulatory Authority (TFRA) and the Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC). Indonesian entities are planning to set up a $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Tanzania, according to a report. Tanzania’s Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Stanslaus Nyongo said in July that the two countries had agreed to cooperate in major investments, mainly in minerals and renewable energy through exploration and capacity building. Tanzania’s Electric Supply Company and Indonesia’s Persero have signed an agreement on cooperation in geothermal energy production. Indonesia is currently funding long and short-term training for Tanzanians through exchange programs in medical science, engineering, fisheries, tourism, fish farming, agriculture and information and communications technology, “in line with the two countries’ efforts to support food security in the future," according to Meidiwaty.