From September 5 to 7, AHK Indonesia (EKONID) hosted the visit of Berlin Mayor and Senator for Economic Affairs, Energy, and Public Enterprises Franziska Giffey, along with a delegation of over 30 representatives from various Berlin-based business sectors and organizations, to Jakarta, Indonesia, with the aim of strengthening the exchange of innovations and promoting stronger economic cooperation between the two cities.
Held in the spirit of the twinning of Berlin and Jakarta as sister cities in 1994 – with a year prior to the 30th anniversary of this twinning – Ms. Giffey and her delegation spent three days visiting several notable locations that marked Jakarta’s urban development and meeting with representatives and decision-makers from the city’s public and private sectors.
Prior to having the series of visits on this trip, the senator and her delegation was given a VIP briefing on Indonesia at the Pullman Hotel Thamrin. EKONID Executive Director Jan Rönnfeld welcomed the delegation and presented a brief introduction to Indonesian business culture with information about the Indonesian market overview, cultural aspects of business, and general business regulation.
His was followed by a welcoming speech from the Chargé d'Affaires of the German Embassy, Thomas Graf, and keynote speeches from the President of IHK Berlin, Sebastian Stietzel, the CEO of Berlin Partner for Business and Technology GmbH, Stefan Franzke, and Ms. Giffey.
Ms. Giffey expressed that this trip was essential for both Jakarta and Berlin’s digitization, energy transition, and economic transformation.
“We want to use this trip to take the solutions and experiences of our partner city in these transformation processes with us to Berlin. Both cities are hotspots for startups within their countries and internationally. The focus of the trip is therefore to further improve cooperation and exchange in this area.” Ms. Giffey said.
The subsequent event following the VIP briefing was a private tour of Jakarta’s modern and historical landmarks – starting with a short MRT tour from Bundaran HI to Dukuh Atas Station in Central Jakarta and the Berlin-Jakarta friendship mural at Kendal Street, to Jakarta Impact Hub slightly further south of the city and Monumen Nasional (Monas) at the heart of the capital. In the evening, the delegation participated in the EKONID Summer Party at Ayana Midplaza Jakarta to network with fellow German and Indonesian business players.
On the second day of the visit, the delegation went to the Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Information Technology to learn more about HUB.ID Accelerator, the Ministry’ startup ecosystem builder that aims to help Indonesian startups grow their businesses. As Berlin served as Germany’s digital innovation center, the visit was targeted towards discovering potential collaboration between the Ministry’s project and the companies that were represented by the delegation.
Afterwards, the delegation visited PT Astra Digital International, a digital service company founded by the Astra Group – Indonesia’s largest conglomerate. The objective of the visit was to learn more about Astra Digital's strategy for improving Indonesia's digital ecosystem, urban service solutions, and, most importantly, how German companies can offer potential partnerships to achieve those goals.
EKONID welcomed the delegation in the afternoon of this second day to its office to meet with three important players in Indonesian energy, robotics, and smart city support facility startups: New Energy Nexus, Widya Robotics, and PT Zetta Media Inspira. During the event, participants had an active and enlightening discussion about Indonesia’s energy transition, AI, automation, and robotics-based startups for industries, as well as Indonesian smart cities and villages. Following the discussion, the delegation attended the Berlin Networking Reception to meet and gather with fellow Berliners and several special invited guests from related companies, associations, and Indonesian Ministry representatives.
Alwy Herfian Satriatama, Co-Founder and CEO of Widya Robotics, who was invited by EKONID to meet with the delegation, admitted that there is a lot of potential for collaboration between Germany and Indonesia that can support the latter's development.
“The meeting held by EKONID has been good. I see many opportunities for collaboration with the Berlin government and German companies because they have very high technological developments and they also need markets outside Europe, one of which is Indonesia. They also intend to expand not only to big cities but also to small cities in Indonesia. So, it can support Indonesia's future development,” Mr. Satriatama said.
The Berlin delegation visit culminated in the signing of a Joint Declaration on Innovation and Technology at the Jakarta Future City Hub on the final day. Inked by Ms. Giffey and Ms. Sri Haryati, Undersecretary for Economic Affairs and Finance at DKI Jakarta Provincial Government, the signed agreement aims to further strengthen the two cities' collaboration in business innovation and technology, supporting initiatives like the Jakarta Future City Hub, which was developed as part of a framework of cooperation between Jakarta and Berlin and serves as a platform for sustainable ecosystem growth.
“Indonesia is an aspiring democracy that, with its innovative strength and highly qualified specialists, generates an economic strength that is also of great interest to Berlin. With our joint declaration, we are underscoring our desire for further, intensive cooperation, particularly in the area of digitization for more economic growth and better living conditions in Berlin and Jakarta,” Ms. Giffey said.
EKONID conveys its deepest appreciation to the Berlin Senate Department for Economic Affairs, Energy, and Public Enterprises, IHK Berlin, Berlin Partner for Business and Technology (GmbH), and all participating partners who were involved in making this three-day event successful.