Jakarta. The Jamaican chamber of commerce said Tuesday that their country’s doors were wide open for Indonesian businesses, particularly those in the e-commerce and sustainability sectors.

According to the Jamaican business lobby, the rapid growth witnessed by Indonesia’s e-commerce sector has caught Kingston's attention. 

“E-commerce is massive in Indonesia, and you guys have super-apps. That is something that is starting to grow in Jamaica. I feel like that is something that can be tapped into,"  Alex Morrisey, a member of the Jamaican chamber of commerce, told the Jakarta Globe on the sidelines of the Indonesia-Latin American and Caribbean (INA-LAC) Business Forum in Jakarta on Tuesday.

"Our internet penetration is also quite similar," Morrisey said.

According to survey firm Statista, 82.36 percent of Jamaicans already had access to the internet as of 2021. The Internet Service Providers Association (AAPJI) reported earlier this year that Indonesia's internet penetration had reached 78.19 percent. Indonesia is home to several e-commerce giants, including Tokopedia, which has merged with the mobile online on-demand service Gojek.

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Waste Management Firms Are Welcome

Another highly potential market that Indonesian businesses might want to explore is the Jamaican sustainability sector.

Both Indonesia and Jamaica are grappling with plastic pollution. The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) data shows Jamaica generates 800,000 plastic waste annually, 15 percent of which are plastics. While three-quarters of the waste goes to disposal sites, the remainder often ends up in drains, rivers, and beaches among others. The World Bank also reported that 4.9 million tons out of the 7.8 million tons of plastic waste that Indonesia generates every year were mismanaged, including getting disposed of in open dumpsites.

"We notice that Indonesia is facing a plastic pollution problem, but it already has solutions. Jamaica also deals with plastic pollution, but we don't have a solution in place," Morrisey said.

"So there is an opportunity in the sustainable sector, which is still lacking in Jamaica, that you guys have already capitalized on in Indonesia," Morrisey added.

The Jamaican businessman claimed that his country had a friendly investment climate.

"Jamaica is definitely open for business. Our economy and credit ratings are stable. We have eliminated the red tapes," Morrisey said.

Government data shows Jamaica-Indonesia's trade grew from $20.9 million in 2021 to $35.9 million the following year. Indonesia posted a $35.7 million surplus in its trade with Jamaica in 2022. 

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