The Asian-African Business Summit organized by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN Indonesia) as part of the 60th Commemoration of the Asian-African Conference 2015, was officially opened by President of the Republic of Indonesia, Mr. Joko Widodo, on 21 April 2015 at the Jakarta Convention Centre. Tony Wenas, Managing Director of PT. Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper, the operating unit of APRIL Group, participated in the Business Dialogue Session on Maritime at the summit.

This session on Maritime seeks to establish the role of the maritime connectivity in the Asian-African context. Indonesia has placed the maritime sector as a focal point in its economic growth agenda. This includes the construction and establishment of several maritime infrastructure projects, such as ports and sea transportation.

APRIL, through the development of the town of Kerinci in the Riau province of Indonesia, provides a good example of the private sector company recognising the importance of connectivity and investing in the building of infrastructure (ports, roads and power supply). And in so doing, APRIL lifts the living standards of the population residing in and near Kerinci and at the same time, contributes to the country’s economic growth, thus embodying the philosophy of its founder, Sukanto Tanoto of doing good for the community, country and company.

In addition to the session on Maritime discussed during the Business Dialogue Session, the other sessions covered Trade, Agriculture and Investment strategies, under the theme for the Business Summit - “Realization of Asia-Africa Partnership for Progress and Prosperity”. This inaugural Business Summit is being attended by business representatives from over 100 Asian and African countries.

The Asian-African Business Summit was created due to the recognition of the pivotal role played by the private sector in promoting economic issues, trade, investment and human resources development. The Asian-African Conference provides a platform for closer interaction between the two continents based on the principles of solidarity, friendship and cooperation which is also called the Spirit of Bandung.

Photo Credit : Antarafoto