Prosper Ndlovu, [email protected]
INDONESIAN Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mr Arief Hidayat, has signalled his country’s readiness to strengthen bilateral co-operation with Zimbabwe, targeting expanded investment and trade opportunities across key sectors to drive mutually beneficial economic growth.
In an exclusive interview, Ambassador Hidayat, who is already in Bulawayo with his business delegation ahead of the commencement of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF 2026) Expo, said that although Indonesia and Zimbabwe enjoy cordial bilateral relations, more needs to be done to accelerate economic and investment milestones.
Indonesia is already a key economic partner with some African states, mainly in North Africa and a few southern African states, mainly South Africa, but now seeks closer collaboration with Zimbabwe.
“One of the reasons we opened an embassy in Harare is because our two leaders had very strong relations, even personal reasons from the days of Mr Robert Mugabe, and even now, the current president looks at Africa as a potential partner,” said Ambassador Hidayat.
“As I have said, Zimbabwe is in a unique position geographically, really at the centre of Africa, but I can say that in terms of economic relations, we still have a lot to do moving into the future,” he added.
“I will start with trading, the capacity building and scholarship for the Zimbabwean students. I just finished our technical discussions with our two permanent secretaries from the Ministry of Health and Agriculture on how to bring the practical experience of Indonesia in these two sectors.
“We are looking forward to studying more on the intra-regional trade between Zimbabwe and neighbouring countries. This is something very useful for us to consider opening investments with Zimbabwe.”
Ambassador Hidayat emphasised that Indonesia was eager to secure mutually beneficial deals with Zimbabwe, and contribute to Government’s vision of transforming livelihoods, being inspired by President Mnangagwa’s philosophy: Zimbabwe is Open for Business.
“We will be exhibiting big at the ZITF and we want to align our investments with the Zimbabwean policy on open for business, and tapping into trade partnerships,” said Amb Hidayat.
“ZITF is a good platform for us to put into practice all the agreements we have. We are keen on agriculture, tourism, energy, and technology projects.
“Look, even when Indonesia brings training and capacity training for Zimbabwe, this is not a donor-recipient relationship, this is a partnership, this is a mutual benefit, this is how Indonesia can bring local value,” he said.
“By sharing the Indonesian experience and vision, a very practical one, we believe the local people can easily adopt this kind of Indonesian experience. Let’s start with something like training, then continue with a business opportunity and then set up an agreement on how Indonesia can see some of the production processes in Zimbabwe with beneficiation in Zimbabwe,” said Amb Hidayat.
“So, it’s not just about exporting and importing or donor-recipient relationship but mutual relations.”
Mr Anthony Timothy Susanto, manager for the Africa operating unit of PT Wings Surya, one of the biggest Indonesian companies exhibiting at the ZITF, said they hoped to secure more partners in Zimbabwe.
“We’re looking for partners in Zimbabwe. Although we already have a footprint across Zimbabwe, we see potential in Zimbabwe, especially given its advantage location within Southern Africa.
“We have looked at the market and our concern is the high tariffs, but we think with our efficiencies we can still compete and make good business. We produce a range of high-quality food and non-food products,” said Mr Susanto.
Indonesia is among the 29 countries that are exhibiting at this year’s ZITF expo and has brought in some of its companies to explore the Zimbabwean market and secure strategic partnerships with local businesses. Relations between the two countries have long been anchored on long-shared friendship and history, solidarity and independence.
Indonesia has played a key role in capacitating local farmers, especially through the artificial cattle insemination programme for improved yields, which has benefitted Matabeleland livestock producers.
The country also offers scholarships for Zimbabwean students and has backed Zimbabwe’s bid for a non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council between 2027 and 2028.