Indonesia says it will improve bilateral relations with Nigeria to promote business ties and improve people-to-people relations between both countries.
Indonesian Ambassador to Nigeria, Harry Purwanto, on Tuesday in Abuja said that a trade delegation from the country to be led by the foreign minister would be in Nigeria in July.
Purwanto said that members of the delegation would be drawn from major sectors in Indonesia, with the aim of reviving the joint commission between both countries.
He said, “Indonesia, this year, will focus on Africa. Along that line, the foreign minister will visit Nigeria and some other countries in the region.
“The visit will not only be for the joint commission with Nigeria, which has already been delayed for the last two years but will bring representatives of key Indonesian industries as well as institutions.
“The plan will be in July; up till now, we are yet to come to a decision on where it will be held, either in Lagos or Abuja.
“We know that Nigeria and Indonesia are victims because perceptions of developing countries are always built on the news coming out of the countries.
“I believe that once these visits are made, citizens of both countries will get to know the real potential of each country.
“Truly, the picture of perceptions built by the mass media will not be as accurate as seeing or experiencing for oneself,” he said.
The envoy said that the visit was pertinent in enhancing relations in various sectors, promote business-to-business interactions and increase the trade volume between the countries.
He pointed out that the trade figure between Nigeria and Indonesia was not as impressive as expected and attributed the decline to the changes in oil price.
“The balance of trade between Indonesia and Nigeria was very good in 2014 because the rates were around four billion dollars, but in 2015, it went down to about two billion dollars.
“From January to October 2016, it was only about 1.8 billion dollars.
“The volume is not as bad as the value because the value was influenced by the decrease in oil prices. Though the volume is still the same, the price is coming down,” he explained.
Purwanto said that the trade balance was in favour of Nigeria, adding that Indonesia would “have to be aggressively promoting and introducing Indonesian products in Nigeria”.
He said that Indonesia produced quality products with competitive prices, adding, “we believe that once the people know of Indonesian quality, they will stay with Indonesian products.”
