JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo met with three leaders of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to discuss a number of issues, such as handling the COVID-19 pandemic to ADB's support for the energy transition in Indonesia.
"First, the President conveyed the latest developments related to COVID-19 in Indonesia and that Indonesia is now the fourth country in the world that has successfully vaccinated and has reached over 330 million who have been vaccinated. Even though we are a country that does not produce vaccines," said Minister of National Development Planning (PPN)/Head of Bappenas Suharso Monoarfa in his statement after a meeting at the Bogor Presidential Palace reported by Antara, Friday, February 18.
ADB leaders who met with President Jokowi were Masatsugu Asakawa as ADB President, Arif Baharudin as Executive Director Representing Indonesia, and Jiro Tominaga as Country Director ADB Indonesia Resident Mission.
Meanwhile, President Jokowi was accompanied by the Minister of National Development Planning (PPN)/Head of Bappenas Suharso Monoarfa, Minister of State Secretary Pratikno, and Deputy Minister of Finance Suahasil Nazara.
President Jokowi, according to Suharso, explained about Indonesia's economic performance which in the fourth quarter of 2021 was already above 5 percent. The ADB commends Indonesia's economic growth throughout 2021.
"Even though last year's 'full year' (economic growth) was 3.7 percent, it was already good and was praised by the ADB that Indonesia's economic growth was 'amazing', he said.
President Jokowi also explained about the downstream industry being carried out by the Government of Indonesia.
According to Suharso, the President is confident that industrial downstreaming will be able to provide added value to exports as well as improve Indonesia's current account balance.
"Earlier, the President said that what we could earn could be 1 in 20, from 1.1 billion US dollars to 20.1 billion US dollars just because of one rule, how we do not export in the form of raw materials, but in the form of finished goods. "said Suharso.
ADB has expressed support for financing the energy transition and other financing for a number of ongoing projects.
"Including, ongoing financing because there are 14 projects today and it's been a long time, 55 years, ADB and Indonesia," said Suharso.
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