Luhut Sasar Africa Becomes Made In Indonesia EV Battery Market

Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan (Photo: dock. Antara)

JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan is targeting the African continent to become an electric vehicle (EV) battery market. This is an expansion of the Indonesian electric vehicle industry.

"Population in Africa will double in 2045. This will be a big market," Luhut said, quoting Antara.

Therefore, Indonesia is aggressively inviting countries on the African continent to work together.

In order to build this cooperation, said Luhut, he had visited Africa to establish communication related to the electric vehicle industry.

"They see Indonesia as a country that can help them with this electric vehicle," said Luhut.

Furthermore, in September, Luhut said he would discuss further plans for cooperation in the EV sector with African countries in the Indonesia-Africa Forum.

"We will be happy to build collaboration with them, especially Kenya and South Africa," he said.

Luhut explained, basically, Indonesia already has various collaborations with countries in Africa. One of them is Pertamina's collaboration with Kenya, as well as the potential for electrical cooperation with PLN.

"Pertamina and PLN in South Africa have also been worked on, and we also invite the World Bank with Africa, we'll see," said Luhut.

Furthermore, the Special Staff of the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources for the Acceleration of Industrial Development of the ESDM Sector Agus Tjahajana Wirakusumah said that Africa has better potential for cobalt when compared to Indonesia.

Even though we have cobalt, it's not as much as in Africa. Because our cobalt is stuck in nickel," said Agus.

Therefore, according to Agus, in addition to targeting the African continent as the EV battery market, cooperation with African countries can also take advantage of the potential for cobalt there.

"If this (potential cobalt) can be collaborated," he said.