Jakarta. Indonesia is aiming to bring home investment commitments that are at least a hundred times what the country has put in to join the 2023 Hannover Messe industrial fair next month.

The Southeast Asian nation is returning to the world’s largest industrial technology fair as a partner country. Indonesia will bring in 157 co-exhibitors to convince potential investors, including industry associations with over 500 members, meaning that the number of Indonesian companies joining Hannover Messe can reach thousands. 

“We are seeking business-to-business, government-to-government, and business-to-government partnerships at this year’s Hannover Messe. But we also want to see actual investment coming into Indonesia,” Eko SA Cahyanto, the director-general for international access at the Industry Ministry, told a talk show on Monday.

“We would love to attract investment commitments that are worth at least a hundred times what we spend for Hannover Messe,” Eko said.

Eko did not explicitly say the exact figures of the total targeted investment commitment at Monday’s forum.

However, according to media reports, Eko previously told reporters that the Indonesian government had allocated Rp 140 billion ($9.26 million) to join the 2023 Hannover Messe in Germany. This means that Indonesia has set a goal to secure Rp 14 trillion in investment commitments at the event, although it would take time for the investment to actually come to the country. 

The Investment Ministry revealed Indonesia would always rank between 15th and 20th place globally as the top investment destination. For investors, Indonesia can become the gateway to the ASEAN market, according to Nurul Ichwan, the ministry’s deputy for investment promotion. 

“Indonesia is the largest economy in ASEAN, and we are also home to the bloc’s largest population. Our country always records positive growth. So [by investing] in Indonesia, investors are entering ASEAN’s main market and will gain access to other countries,” Nurul said at the same FMB9ID_IKP talk show.

“Indonesia and ASEAN can become part of the global supply chain that pays attention to sustainability, as we talk of green energy, sustainable mining, and how we can achieve the sustainable development goals [SDGs] via sustainable investment,” Nurul added.

Indonesia is the first ASEAN member state to become an official Hannover Messe partner country thrice. Indonesia first got partner country status in 1995. Indonesia then joined the digital edition of the Hannover Messe back in 2019. 

The 2023 Hannover Messe is slated for April 17-21.