Special Economic Zones in Indonesia: Progress and Challenges during the Pandemic

As Indonesia joins other countries in charting its economic recovery beyond the pandemic, economic onlookers have been keenly watching the country’s special economic zones. The Nongsa Digital Park in Batam was recently endorsed as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) by President Joko Widodo- This signals the central government’s support for regional and international businesses looking to invest in Indonesia- a much needed assurance during after the global economic landscape has been transformed by the pandemic. There is no doubt that the burgeoning data sector in the region stands to gain greatly from the endorsement. Singapore’s Economic Development Board has noted that there are already around 150 multinational Singapore-based companies in the Nongsa Digital Park.

What about opportunities for the non-digital sector? The ACI webinar on “Special Economic Zones in Indonesia: Progress and Challenges during the Pandemic” invited management-level representatives from four existing SEZs (Kendal, Tanjung Lesung, Sei Mangkei and Maloy Batuta Trans-Kalimantan) to understand the opportunities available for other industries, such as manufacturing, healthcare and tourism. The Assistant Deputy for the Enhancement of Regional Competitiveness, Kartika Listriana, from the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs was the guest-of-honour for the event and provided insights from the central government.

Read more on the webinar at our blog, here!