Indonesia upbeat on trade with Africa

Indonesia has chalked up an upbeat trend over trade with Africa since five years ago, pushing the largest economy in Southeast Asia to accelerate expansion of business to the region, an official said here Wednesday. The trade volume between Indonesia and Africa surged to 12 billion U.S. dollars in 2013 from about 3 billion U. S. dollars in 2009, said Lasro Simbolon, director for Africa of Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry. "Many business opportunity that we can tap there (in Africa),"he told a press conference at the ministry. Though the two-way trade was expected to slightly weaken to about 11 billion U.S. dollars last year as part of risks of fallout of economy globally, the official said that he was upbeat over potential to ramp up business spheres in the region, home to 1 billion people in years to come. So far, about 17 Indonesian companies have been operating in Africa in the sectors of agriculture, oil and gas and others, he said. Indonesia has been looking for other non-traditional markets to expand its export market battered by the weakening of global demand.