Strengthening Bridges of Friendship and Cooperation between Indonesia and African Countries

Personal Views of Moehammad Amar Ma’ruf (Author of the Book Katulistiwa/Career Diplomat/Council of Trustees of the Cengkareng Unity Education Foundation, West Jakarta)

In the course of my career as a diplomat, it was an honor to visit several countries on the African continent such as Algeria, Senegal, Sudan, Tunisia, Libya and Morocco as well as Egypt.  Africa, a continent that is vast and far from the Indonesian archipelago on the Asian continent, has provided an opportunity to see a picture of the diversity of nations in the world which requires us to get to know each other. 

It was felt that the process of getting to know the people of Indonesia and the African continent was not easy considering that the location of the two nations, the Indonesian nation and the African nation, was very far away. However, because the process of wanting to get to know each other is sunnatullah (something that is destined to happen), no matter how far apart the two continents are, this visit still occurs.  It is truly appreciated for the various advances in industry and technology, especially in the fields of aviation and information, apart from personal desire, which can overcome the limitations of this location.   

The above awareness has certainly become a strength for the two nations, both the Indonesian nation and the African nation, to continue to foster so that the encounter between the two nations will be of greater quality since the leaders of the Indonesian nation and the African nation have discussed and agreed to mutually oversee a very historic process for the nation. The Indonesian nation and the African nation, namely in strengthening their nation’s struggle for independence to escape the shackles of colonialism when they initially came as immigrants and eventually flocked in bad faith to colonize the two nations (Indonesia and Africa) to exploit their natural and even human resources.

The process of meeting between the Indonesian people and the African people also seems to be the result of a simalakama for the colonialists which cannot be separated from the series of struggles to achieve national independence from the colonial strategy which exiled the leaders of the nation’s independence at that time to distant countries known as the African continent. For example, the Indonesian hero Syekh Yusuf and other groups were finally able to mix with the local community on the African continent (Madagascar and South Africa). Of course, there are many other names that have not been explored to continue to serve as milestones for the friendship between Indonesia and African nations.

The process of this meeting was very heroically and diplomatically realized by the founding fathers of the nation to echo the achievements of the Indonesian nation to its citizens in Africa and automatically also to the leaders of the African nation who were de facto and de yure at that time still under the confines of colonialism. Efforts to echo the struggle for independence from Indonesian leaders and communities in Africa have strengthened and synergized with the determination and efforts of local figures to fight both physically and diplomatically to fight the colonialists.  

One of the milestones was when the great leader of the Indonesian proclamator together with world leaders from other continents of Asia and Africa voiced their interests and sense of destiny in fighting for the independence of their nations from the shackles of colonialism, giving birth to the Conference of Asian Nations and African Nations in Bandung. 1955 with Dasa Sila Bandung with a series of meetings both before and after which strengthened relations and cooperation between nations in Asia and Africa in the future.

It is realized that the moment of encounter above is not only to be remembered but is realized to always be developed and given attention so that the seeds of friendship and cooperation between Indonesians and Africans are fertile and produce sustainable benefits for both peoples.

After almost 79 years of independence from the Indonesian people and African nations from colonialism, the level of welfare of the two nations still needs to be improved and strengthened and the potential contained in these two nations has not yet been reflected. 

During the 79 years of nationalism in these two nations, the dynamics that occurred in these two regions are very different. Indonesia, which is in the Southeast Asia region, which was basically the goal of the colonialists, continuously strives to fight various kinds of backwardness by trying to make its society independent while becoming a society that is open to continuing to learn to overcome the various problems of its nation, both in matters relating to food security, education, energy and health so that in the decades since independence was achieved by the Indonesian people, Indonesia can gradually achieve development targets aimed at the prosperity of the nation, although these steps still need to continue to be improved and equalized.  Moreover, future improvements require the Indonesian people and the world to be part of the Sustainable Development Program which must be more friendly to the natural environment.

Meanwhile, developments in the African region which has de yure been declared an independent nation are often still reported with one sided news such as the African region being an area prone to famine and still being attacked by many disease outbreaks, droughts and prone to sectarian conflict so it has become a target for operations for humanity. 

Meanwhile, the world will be astonished to see that Africa has now changed the face of its country to become a nation whose economy and per capita growth are quite stable, even increasing compared to the European Union, as reported by a development observer, Saifaddin Galal, through the statistical explanation below: 

In 2022, the real GDP growth rate in Africa is estimated at 3.7 percent, down from 4.8 percent in the previous year. Africa’s real GDP is projected to maintain a steady and constant growth trend between 2023 and 2027. In 2020, the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) caused economic stagnation and recession in most regions of the world. The economy on the African continent has also been negatively impacted, as the health crisis has caused disruption across all economic sectors. This caused Africa’s real GDP to fall to minus 1.8 percent, an extraordinary negative growth rate recorded on the continent. Southern Africa is the most affected region, followed by Central and West Africa.  But in 2021 and 2022, African economies are showing signs of recovery after the COVID-19 crisis. Growth is expected to continue in the following years, with total GDP increasing from around three trillion US dollars in 2020 to four trillion US dollars in 2027. Africa’s economy is expected to grow rapidly, especially compared to other world regions. By 2027, Sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP is expected to register a growth rate of more than four percent, while the European Union’s economy will grow at less than two percent. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1300818/real-gdp-growth-rate-in-africa/

This development is interesting when compared with Indonesia which has now become a member of the Group of 20 which is said to be a group claimed by the World Bank that the G20 represents more than 60 percent of the world’s population, 75 percent of global trade and 80 percent of world GDP.

If we look at the growth over the past decade, Indonesia and Africa are almost similar, namely that they are classified as nations with quite positive  economies with their own rate.

https://data.goodstats.id/statistic/pertumbuhan-ekonomi-indonesia-dalam-10-tahun-terakhir-fivcI

These two nations have the potential to develop relations and cooperation which is expected to utilize existing assets and potential, especially regarding natural and human resources. These two aspects are strategic assets in mapping the current and future needs of these two nations.

In connection with the above, at the beginning of September 2024, Indonesia will again host for the second time the Indonesia Africa Forum / IAF meeting and its series of meetings which are expected to accelerate the actualization of the realization of more rooted and stronger relations and cooperation in various fields.  The two nations (Indonesai and Afrika) must often carry out various good deeds that can represent the needs of the people of both countries.  It is hoped that periodically scheduled goodwill visits in various fields can strengthen and create a golden bridge for a relationship that is already well established. Apart from that, this meeting is also expected to become a dialogue forum that encourages the creation of leaps of achievement from merely remembering nostalgia for the process of getting to know the two peoples and nations but rather can explore and facilitate the exchange of potential and fulfillment of the needs of these two nations. We hope that the IAF and its series of activities will continue to give birth to goodwill visits and other technical meetings that will further strengthen relations and cooperation between the two nations in various fields. (AK/RE1/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)