The visiting Indonesian Minister of Trade, Mr Enggartiasto Lukita, on Monday enjoined the Nigerian business community to avail themselves of the opportunities in his country’s 32nd Trade Expo, in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Lukita gave the advice in Lagos at a One-day Indonesian/Nigerian Economic Forum with the theme “Making Nigeria as the Trade-Hub in West Africa’’.
“Indonesia is changing for the better. And this is the time for Nigeria to strengthen her relations with Indonesia, as a strategic Partner.
“The Indonesian Ministry of Trade has been preparing the 2017 Trade Expo Indonesia(TEI) to be the right business platform for buyers, traders, investors and business visitors.
“I, therefore, want to invite the Nigerian business community to the 32nd Trade
Expo Indonesia, for them to become aware of the many opportunities that awaited them there,’’ he said.
The minister said that his delegation was composed of 20 Indonesian companies that had indicated interest in doing businesses, as well as investing in different parts of Nigeria.
Lukita said that they were in Nigeria to seek information on the opportunities that currently existed in the country for them and to know more about Nigeria and Nigerians.
“We must know that our two countries have great potentials that we should harness to our benefit. We have and will continue to see
Nigeria as a strategic Partner.
“I do wish that business between our two countries would continue to grow stronger,’’ he said.
The Indonesian Ambassador to Nigeria, Amb. Harry Purwanto, said that Nigeria and Indonesia were working at how best to mutually sustain their areas of cooperation.
Purwanto said that the visit of the Minister and his delegation was meant to promote more business-to-business cooperation between Nigerians and Indonesians.
He expressed his readiness to continue to facilitate more diplomatic shuttles between Indonesia and Nigeria in the years ahead.
Purwanto said that the visit of the Minister was a follow-up to the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Retno Marsudi’s visit to Nigeria in June this year, which was aimed promoting cooperation between both countries.
The Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, said that the delegation and other would-be Indonesian investors and companies were welcome to Nigeria.
Obaseki, who described Nigeria as a land of opportunities, said that Nigeria and Indonesia needed to strengthen their relations because they had a lot in common.
He said that there was a lot for Nigeria to learn from Indonesia, especially in the development of her agriculture sector.
Highpoints of the forum was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between some Nigerian companies with some of the visiting
Indonesian companies.
The 2017 Indonesian Trade Exhibition is scheduled to open on Oct. 11 and end on Oct. 15.
The annual five-day exhibition is in its 32nd edition. (NAN)