Indonesia-Africa relationship

Indonesia-Africa relationship

Be ready for a shock: Indonesia, despite its geographical
distance, has been known in Africa for ages. The island of
Madagascar in Southern Africa was populated by immigrants from
various parts of the Indonesia archipelago. Their migration was
continuous until 1511. Today many Madagascans are children of
mixed couples, Africans and immigrants from Indonesia.

South Africa alone has about a million men and women of Malay
extraction, who were enslaved by the Dutch colonial
administration in Indonesia which maintained close ties with the
South African colonial administration.

In 1955, Indonesia hosted the historic Asia-Africa Conference
in Bandung, attended by a number of African leaders including the
popular African nationalist Sir Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana. At the
moment most Arab countries of North Africa are represented here
in Jakarta. Nigeria was the first sub-saharan African nation to
establish an embassy in Jakarta in the early 1980s.

More African nations are becoming interested in Indonesia.
Just within the last four months no less than three African
countries established diplomatic relations with Jakarta. The
Indonesian-African trade relationship is interdependent. Each
side needs the other. In May 1996, this was demonstrated by an
agreement-signing ceremony at the state palace between the
Indonesian delegation led by President Soeharto, and the
Burkinabe delegation led by President Blaise. Indonesia needs
cotton for its textile industry, and Burkina Faso needs
Indonesian aircraft.

In the island of Madagascar there is an Indonesian language
center, and there are a number of African students (mainly
Ugandans) at Gajah Mada university in Yogyakarta.

Economically speaking, much could be done to improve matters.
Indonesian businessmen do not know where to obtain Africa
business information. The situation is no different in African
countries where businessmen know only little about business
potentials of Indonesia. This is why a good opportunity exists
for Indonesian businessmen to establish "an African business
information center" to sell information and other services to
business tycoons.

BUHARI ABDU

Jakarta