Mohsein: ABKI Ready to Bridge Indonesia–Saudi Arabia Creative Economy Collaboration Toward Golden Indonesia 2045
The Ministry of Creative Economy (Kemenekraf) of the Republic of Indonesia is exploring strategic cooperation opportunities with the Federation of Saudi Chambers of Commerce to expand the market reach of Indonesian creative economy (Ekraf) products globally, particularly in the Middle East.
The meeting, held at the Pesona Indonesia Film Building in Jakarta, was led directly by the Minister of Creative Economy, Teuku Riefky Harsya, and attended by senior officials of the Ministry along with delegates from the Federation of Saudi Chambers of Commerce.
“This meeting marks an important first step in building a creative economy collaboration between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. By strengthening our value chain—from creation, production, distribution, consumption, to conservation—we believe this cooperation will generate significant impact,” said Minister Teuku Riefky.
The potential areas of collaboration discussed include the fashion sub-sector, halal culinary products (such as spices, snacks, and coffee), handicrafts, designer partnerships, and the use of local products as part of hotel interiors to support Hajj and Umrah activities.
Rian Syaf, Special Staff to the Minister for Strategic Issues and Inter-Institutional Affairs, emphasized that this collaboration aligns with efforts to build an inclusive and sustainable creative economy ecosystem through infrastructure development, intellectual property facilitation, and increased marketing incentives.
The Saudi Arabia–Indonesia Business Council, which operates under the coordination of the Federation of Saudi Chambers of Commerce, welcomed this initiative. The Chairman of the Saudi Chamber for Indonesia, Ayman Bin Amin Sajini, expressed strong interest in investing in Indonesia's creative economy sector.
“We see many opportunities for collaboration and investment that can be explored together,” said Ayman.
Meanwhile, Osama Kokandy, Vice Chairman of the Saudi Chamber for Indonesia, highlighted the importance of the separation between the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Creative Economy, as a reflection of Indonesia’s strong focus on developing creative sub-sectors that share cultural values with Saudi Arabia, such as film, photography, fashion, culinary arts, and music. In response, the Chairman of the Indonesian Job Exchange Association (ABKI), Mohsein Saleh Badegel, expressed ABKI’s full readiness to help facilitate this bilateral collaboration.
“ABKI is ready to bridge this partnership as part of our contribution to support Indonesia’s preparation toward Golden Indonesia 2045,” Mohsein affirmed.
Moving forward, Kemenekraf plans to formulate a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to ensure that all cooperation plans are monitored sustainably and implemented optimally.