South Tangerang, Banten (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Embassy in Dakar, Senegal, has expressed optimism that a bilateral business forum between Indonesian and West African entrepreneurs will pave the way for cooperation agreements, joint ventures, and sustainable long-term partnerships.
Indonesian Ambassador to Senegal Ardian Wicaksono - who is also accredited to the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Cote d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone, and Cabo Verde - highlighted that Indonesia and West African nations share immense complementary export potential.
"Our economies have complementary strengths, our markets are dynamic, and our private sectors are actively looking for reliable partners," Wicaksono stated during the "Indonesia-West Africa Business Meeting and B-to-B Networking" event here on Friday.
He noted that significant room remains to bolster bilateral trade and investment, particularly across strategic sectors such as agriculture, food, fisheries, pharmaceuticals, herbal products, manufacturing, energy, infrastructure, and fast-moving consumer goods.
To seize these opportunities, the embassy partnered with the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin Indonesia) to host the forum on the sidelines of the 2026 Trade Expo Indonesia (TEI).
The forum served as a platform to showcase Indonesian products, manufacturing capabilities, and investment opportunities to encourage deeper cross-border commercial engagement.
Ambassador Wicaksono pointed out that the gathering drew about 70 business delegates representing 44 companies from six West African nations - Guinea, the Gambia, Mali, Cote d'Ivoire, Senegal, and Sierra Leone - marking the highest participation level from the region in the last five years.
He described the strong turnout as a positive indicator for future Indonesia-West Africa relations, demonstrating the business community's resolve to explore non-traditional markets and transform potential into concrete commercial ventures.
"This meeting today may become a business agreement, a joint venture, or a long-term partnership tomorrow,” Wicaksono affirmed in his remarks, which were delivered by the Coordinator for Economic Affairs at the Indonesian Embassy in Dakar Alex Rudini Sulaiman.
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Translator: Uyu Septiyati Liman
Editor: Primayanti
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