Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan recently made a working visit to three African countries, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Zimbabwe, to discuss strategic issues and cooperation.

Cooperation in healthcare, mining, infrastructure, energy transition, forestry, and international cooperation were among the aspects he raised during his tour from January 20–24, 2023.

According to a statement received here on Thursday, the coordinating minister started his African tour on January 20 with Kenya, where he met with President William Ruto.

During their meeting, he said that representatives from the Port of Mombasa Authority had visited Indonesia in 2021 to discuss sister-port cooperation and development, which Indonesia intends to pursue.

“I will instruct the president director of the Indonesian Port Authority (Pelindo) to discuss the cooperation with the Port of Mombasa Authority in detail about this port cooperation after I return to Indonesia,” Pandjaitan affirmed.

Indonesia and Kenya must enhance cooperation to promote sustainable energy and equitable energy transition to support green development and economic growth, he added.

During the meeting, Pandjaitan welcomed collaboration with Kenya in the Archipelagic and Islands States (AIS) Forum, which was initiated by Indonesia in 2017 and seeks to unite 41 island countries to conceive solutions to maritime issues, including through blue financing and university research cooperation.

“In this context, Indonesia welcomes Kenya authority to collaborate with the AIS Forum in accelerating innovation that will enhance our vision to achieve a sustainable maritime future,” he expounded.

On January 23, Pandjaitan continued his African tour by visiting the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where he met Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde.

The coordinating minister raised four strategic issues for cooperation in climate action, renewable energy, sustainable mining industry, and infrastructure development during his meeting with Lukonde.

Pandjaitan also followed up on the Forest Climate Initiative — a joint initiative between Indonesia, Brazil, and DRC — at the meeting and reiterated the joint commitment to collaborating with other countries to advance the agenda.

“DRC and Brazil will also invite other African and Latin American countries to join the initiative,” he noted.

He also expressed confidence that cooperation in food resilience, eco-tourism, agro-forestry, and environmental services, such as carbon credit and carbon capture, will benefit the three initiator countries.

“Indonesia and DRC can also exchange knowledge and experience in determining the carbon price,” the coordinating minister said.

During the last leg of his African tour, the coordinating minister met with Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on January 24 to discuss five strategic issues.

The strategic issues are sustainable mining industry and energy transition, healthcare cooperation, transportation infrastructure development, forestry cooperation, and digital economy.

At the meeting, Pandjaitan stated Indonesia’s intention to propose a cooperation framework in the railway sector, including for the exchange of knowledge, technology, institutional cooperation, and facility enhancement.

Indonesia is also keen to propose digitization system cooperation in the aspects of innovation funding and digital business empowerment, capacity improvement and manpower development, and digital infrastructure, he added.

“It is undeniable that this meeting will greatly contribute to our efforts to devise appropriate strategies for common prosperity with our people, for our people,” Pandjaitan remarked.

Source: Antara News