Indonesia business chamber eyes investments in Aurora ecozone
(APECO photo)
The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, known as KADIN, is poised to explore investment opportunities in the government-led economic zone based in the coastal town of Casiguran in Aurora province, harnessing its potential to be a key gateway to trans-Pacific trade.
In a statement, the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO) said it has partnered with KADIN to launch the first APECO Business Forum on Saturday, Aug. 23.
APECO said a 55-member delegation from KADIN, led by the chamber’s chairman Anindya Bakrie, will be in Manila as part of the ecozone’s push to attract global investors.
The Indonesian delegation will feature senior executives from key sectors such as infrastructure, agriculture, food and beverage, healthcare, finance, mining, shipping, aviation, and technology.
APECO said Indonesia’s newest sovereign wealth fund, Danantara, will also have a presence at the forum.
“This is a historic moment for APECO. For the first time, we are receiving and hosting a foreign business mission,” said APECO President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Gil Taway IV.
“The trust and confidence shown by KADIN and its members reflect the growing recognition of Aurora and the eastern seaboard as an investment frontier,” he said.
Taway said the Casiguran-based ecozone is an ideal investment hub for Indonesian firms given its strong potential to be a gateway for exports to major markets such as Japan and South Korea, and even the United States (US).
“With its location on the country’s eastern seaboard, APECO envisions Aurora as an emerging transshipment and logistics hub linking Southeast Asia to the wider Pacific region,” he said.
The forum, he noted, will serve as a platform for KADIN to explore opportunities in APECO’s growing investment landscape.
Taway said this would include seaport and airport infrastructure, coconut and fisheries industries, eco-tourism destinations, renewable energy (RE), and the defense sector.
He added that these prospective investments will translate into inclusive growth for both Aurora and the country.