Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
03 September 2024 | 16:12 SAST
3-minute read

The second Indonesia-Africa forum, held in Bali from 1 September and set to conclude today, seeks to boost strategic relations, open trade options between Jakarta and Africa, and mitigate the impact of western countries’ policies on developing countries.

The forum is seen as a way to consolidate the connection that was initiated at the 1955 Bandung Conference, the aim of which was to promote anti-colonial solidarity between Asian and African countries.

Sizo Nkala, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Centre for Africa-China Studies at the University of Johannesburg, explained the significance of the global context within which the conference is taking place.

“This particular forum is held in the context of a shambling international order. We have seen the erosion of multilateralism. We have seen how developed countries in the west have retreated to their corners and imposed a protectionist economic policy, which has led to suffering in the developing world,” Nkala said.

Among the strategic areas of co-operation between Indonesia and Africa are healthcare technology, electronic vehicle manufacturing, mining, minerals and the global supply chain.

The forum presents substantial market opportunities for Africa.

Notably, Indonesia has pledged an investment of $3,5 billion into the African economy- a substantial amount, considering that Indonesia’s GDP was measured at $1 trillion in 2023, and the country has a growing middle class of 52 million with considerable buying power.

Meanwhile, the 9^th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) is geared to take place between the 4^th and 6^th of September.

The largest of the Africa +1 Summits, the FOCAC has come to represent an institutional mechanism to coordinate interactions and relations between China and Africa in the economic, cultural, social and security sectors.

“It is a mechanism that has brought stability and predictability between the relations between China and Africa. It’s a platform that shapes the agenda of the relationship in 3-year intervals,” Nkala explained.

There is increasing competition between African countries to secure investment deals with China, which results in suboptimal outcomes, Nkala highlighted. He suggests that the African Union be given the task to negotiate with China based on a common African position.

Another point of discussion on today’s Africa Report was the upcoming presidential election in Tunisia, which is set to take place on October 6, 2024.

In an election marred by controversy due to the imprisonment of potential candidates, journalists and chief minister for opposing the current President Kais Saied, only three candidates have been confirmed to contest next month’s elections.

Nkala said that since Saied took over in 2019, the country has witnessed an erosion of the democratic gains that were won during the Arab Spring.

President Saied reportedly concentrated power around the office of the president when he took office in 2019. Two years later, he suspended parliament, after which his regime established a new constitution in 2022.

“We have seen, I think, the rise of a dictatorship, which was overthrown in 2011. So, it’s a setback,” Nkala noted.

Despite high unemployment and poverty in the country under Saied’s leadership, it is expected that he will still win next month’s elections.

“I think economic turmoil and repression and authoritarianism have characterised his reign as president. But he’s still expected to win the next presidential election, largely due to closing the democratic space and denying other potential candidates [a] space to campaign,” Nkala said.

Listen to the Africa Report on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat.