Indonesian Embassy invites Indonesian businessmen to increase trade with Somalia
ANTARA NEWS|JAKARTA: The Indonesian Embassy in Nairobi at the Indonesia-Somalia Business Forum invited Indonesian businessmen to improve trade relations with Somalia.
The activity was held in collaboration with the Indonesian Embassy in Nairobi with the Directorate of Market Development and Export Information of the Ministry of Trade and the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Somalia in Jakarta, according to a statement from the Indonesian Embassy in Nairobi on Saturday.
The business forum with the theme ” Strengthening Business Collaboration for Stronger Recovery ” is part of a series of activities at the Indonesian Embassy in Nairobi in its participation in the 37th Trade Expo Indonesia (TEI).
On that occasion, the Indonesian Embassy in Nairobi brought eight Somali businessmen who were part of the Somali trade delegation.
According to the Indonesian Embassy, Somali entrepreneurs were amazed to see the variety and quality of Indonesian products displayed in the Inaexpo permanent exhibition room at the Ministry of Trade Office.
“Somali traders are very familiar with Indonesian products, which are known to be of high quality, and are very fond of Indonesian businessmen who are considered honest and trustworthy,” said the Indonesian Honorary Consul (Konhor) in Mogadishu Ismael Siyad, who is also the Deputy Chairman of the Somali Chamber of Commerce. Siyad said his party hopes that Indonesia can facilitate access for Somali entrepreneurs to do business with partners from Indonesia. In addition to a business meeting at the Ministry of Trade, the Somali trade delegation also participated in a business meeting with the Indonesian Muslim Entrepreneurs Community (KPMI) in Jakarta.
The eight Somali entrepreneurs are engaged in various business fields, ranging from CPO, steel construction, garments, food and beverages, cosmetics, personal care products, home care products, printing, to stationery.
The meeting was attended by around 35 KPMI member entrepreneurs and 15 other Somali businessmen, both from third countries and domiciled in Indonesia.
Executing Economic Function of the Indonesian Embassy in Nairobi, Rendra Kusumawardana, believes that the role of the Somali diaspora in Indonesia is very large in Indonesia-Somalia trade.
Given the difficulty of accessing banking in Somalia, said Rendra, the Somali diaspora can be a bridge in relations between entrepreneurs in the two countries.
“We hope that this series of meetings can change the perception of Indonesian entrepreneurs on business opportunities in Somalia,” he said.
Rendra hopes that in the future more Indonesian finished products can be promoted in Somalia because Somali entrepreneurs prefer to import products that are ready to be marketed immediately.
The Indonesian Embassy in Nairobi estimates that the potential trade value achieved in the business meeting and participation of the Somali businessmen exceeds 20 million US dollars (around Rp. 311.14 billion).
The commodities that dominate the trade value are electronic products, food and beverages, textiles, and palm oil.