Delegations commit to business networks

Delegations commit to business networks

Zakki P. Hakim and Urip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Representatives of businesses participating in the Asia-Africa
Business Summit signed a joint declaration on Friday aimed at,
among other things, promoting economic and technical cooperation
and business networking among the participants.

The joint declaration on "Enhancing Cooperation for Progress
between Asia-Africa Business Community" was signed by 15
businessmen representing their respective countries on the two
continents.

Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) vice
chairman John A. Prasetio told reporters that the joint
declaration would be presented to the leaders of the two
continents at the Asian-African Summit on Saturday to be adopted
later in the day.

"We have proposed that the private sector will commit to
implementing the joint declaration, as long as the governments of
Asia-Africa take responsibility for ensuing sustained momentum,"
he explained.

He said that private sector's commitment would not be enough
to bring about an economic relationship between the two
continents without support from governments.

John said that in reviving the Bandung Spirit in the economic
cooperation field, the private sector recommended that the
nations of the two continents first enhance exchanges of
information, set up a working group to identify feasible areas
for economic cooperation and harmonize policies between countries
to smooth trade and investment.

Earlier, Kadin chairman Mohamad S. Hidayat said the Business
Summit was aimed more at familiarizing the private sectors of the
participating countries with each other. After that, it would
depend on the political will of each government to facilitate its
private sector in pursuing trade between the two continents.

The Business Summit, organized by Kadin, was attended by 768
CEOs and business leaders from 24 Asian and African countries.

Meanwhile, the signatories were the representatives of
chambers of commerce from Brunei, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia,
Japan, Mozambique, the Philippines, Singapore, Somalia, South
Africa, South Korea, Uganda, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.

John said that other countries would follow suit in signing
the joint declaration.

John said that the delegates at the Business Summit had
recommended that nations organize an Asia Africa business
conference every two years, which should include the public and
private sectors, as well as academics, so as to intensify future
cooperation and enhance trade and investment opportunities in
Asia-Africa.

It was proposed that the next meeting be held in Cairo in
2007.

SIDEBAR...

The delegates to the Asia-Africa Business Summit recommend the
following common strategies and commit to work in cooperation
with their governments on implementation of these strategies:

1. Strengthen the commitment to promote South-South Cooperation
among countries in Asia and Africa on the basis of equality and
mutual benefit.

2. Take real measures to increase direct trade between Asia and
Africa and scrutinize the prospects and challenges of an Asian-
African business partnership and networking, including to take
initiatives necessary to address those challenges.

3. Exchange information and share experiences on best practices,
competitiveness, development issues, business and investment
potentials, such as through establishing an Asia-Africa business
centers.

4. Set up a working group to identify viable areas of economic
cooperation and harmonize policies to support closer
collaboration of our respective regions.

5. Focus cooperation on investment promotion, product quality,
marketing and skills development in important and basic sectors
like tourism, agriculture, fisheries and forestry, and
information technology.

6. Strengthen commitment to multilateralism and cooperation in
international fora, such as the World Trade Organization, to
ensure greater benefits of globalization that are equitably
distributed and will serve to improve the quality of life of all
peoples.

7. Give high priority to facilitating increased public and
private sector investment in regional infrastructure and
develop efficient road, rail, sea and air transportation and
telecommunications systems to facilitate greater movement of
goods and people.

8. Promote cooperation in human resources development, through
training and capacity building programs, strengthening of
institutions, and entrepreneurship development, especially for
small and medium enterprises.

9. Promote constructive dialogue and interaction with our
development partners, such as the G-8, the World Bank, the
European Union, African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank
etc., to ensure that the urgent concerns of Asian African
countries on matters such as poverty eradication, debt relief,
financing for development, disaster support continue to be
properly addressed and supported.

10. Foster collaboration between government and business to
improve governance, transparency and bring about a fair and
competitive environment.

11. Organize, every two years, an Asia Africa business conference
which shall include the public and business sectors as well as
academics to intensify future cooperation and to enhance
greater trade and investment opportunities in Asia-Africa.