South Tangerang, October 17, 2026 – The Europe Today: Indonesia is stepping up efforts to expand its export markets and strengthen trade partnerships across six West African countries, as part of a broader strategy to diversify its international economic relations and increase export value.
The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is supporting domestic businesses in exploring commercial opportunities in Senegal, Guinea, The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Mali and Côte d’Ivoire.
According to Indonesia’s ANTARA news agency, the Indonesian Embassy in Dakar, in collaboration with the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin Indonesia), organised an “Indonesia-West Africa Business Meeting and B2B Networking” event in South Tangerang, Banten, on Friday. The event brought together representatives of 44 West African companies and Indonesian business stakeholders to explore potential partnerships.
Aris Triyono, Senior Adviser to the Director of African Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Directorate General for Asia, Pacific and Africa, highlighted the region’s significant commercial potential, supported by a consumer market of approximately 300 million people.
He also emphasised the growing economic integration of West Africa under the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional bloc established in 1975.
“West Africa has been a great partner for Indonesia, particularly in the healthcare, agriculture, and energy sectors,” Triyono said.
Highlighting cooperation in healthcare, he noted that Indonesian state-owned pharmaceutical company PT Bio Farma had maintained a strategic partnership with Senegal’s Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD), a biomedical research foundation, since 2019.
While the partnership has primarily focused on capacity-building initiatives, both sides are now exploring opportunities for joint vaccine development, reflecting the potential to deepen cooperation in pharmaceutical research and healthcare technology.
Triyono also highlighted Indonesia’s efforts to strengthen trade frameworks with African countries. Indonesia has a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) with Mozambique and is negotiating a similar arrangement with Rwanda.
Jakarta hopes to establish comparable trade agreements with West African countries to facilitate market access and support existing exports to the region.
Indonesian products currently exported to West African markets include palm oil, agricultural machinery, rubber and tyres. Expanding trade cooperation could create additional opportunities for Indonesian manufacturers and exporters while meeting growing regional demand.
The initiative forms part of Indonesia’s broader strategy to explore non-traditional markets beyond its established trading partners in Asia, Europe and North America. By diversifying export destinations, the government aims to strengthen economic resilience, expand commercial networks and increase the value of national exports.
Triyono welcomed the recent progress in Indonesia-West Africa relations, particularly the growing momentum in both government-to-government and business-to-business cooperation.
The business meeting underscored the shared interest in developing stronger commercial ties and creating new opportunities for investment, technology exchange and long-term economic cooperation between Indonesia and West African nations.
