Summit kicks off, offers $22b projects<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Zakki P. Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The much-anticipated Infrastructure Summit, in which the
\ngovernment will offer 91 infrastructure projects worth US$22.5
\nbillion, kicks off on Monday -- a crucial test to gauge
\ninvestors' interest in the country.<\/p>\n
The government, which has seen investors fleeing in droves
\nover the past several years, will offer projects spanning across
\nthe archipelago during the 2005-2009 period in priority sectors
\nsuch as toll roads, gas pipelines, power, airports, seaports, tap
\nwater, railroads and telecommunications.<\/p>\n
The massive projects are designed to lure investment and boost
\neconomic indices, particularly employment, in accordance with
\nPresident Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's goal of pushing annual
\naverage growth over 6 percent.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for the Economy Aburizal Bakrie told a
\npress briefing on Sunday that the country would need up to $150
\nbillion -- an upward revision from the $75 billion -- to finance
\nthe infrastructure-related projects in the next five years.<\/p>\n
Of the total, one-third will be funded by domestic sources
\nincluding the state budget, while multilateral lenders are
\nexpected to contribute some $10 billion, leaving global private
\ninvestors to kick in for the $90 billion that remains.<\/p>\n
"The $22.5 billion worth of projects on offer at the summit
\nare the first batch of the $90 billion. We'll offer other
\nprojects, which will be worth $57.5 billion, in the second batch
\nscheduled for November," Aburizal said.<\/p>\n
Minister of Transportation Hatta Radjasa also said that among
\nthe projects offered, nine of them would come from his office.<\/p>\n
Those projects comprise the overhaul of Soekarno-Hatta
\ninternational airport, the construction of new airports in Medan,
\nNorth Sumatra; Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara and Makassar, South
\nSulawesi.<\/p>\n
For seaports, the projects include the construction of the
\nJakarta New Port, Bojonegara port in Banten, Balikpapan port in
\nEast Kalimantan and the Lamong Bay port which forms part of the
\nextension project of Tanjung Perak port of Surabaya.<\/p>\n
Hatta said that the government also would offer the
\nconstruction of a rail network from Soekarno-Hatta International
\nAirport to Manggarai station in South Jakarta.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/summit-kicks-off-offers-22b-projects-1447893297",
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