Author: OBG Admin

Sheikh Ahmad Duaij Jaber Al Sabah-Chairman-Commercial Bank of Kuwait

Linking up: Investment from China is set to make up a sizeable portion of infrastructure spending

Posted OBG AdminPosted in Uncategorized

  In early 2019 Indonesia proposed the involvement of Chinese companies in dozens of projects worth an estimated $91bn. Although specific details about many of these developments are still unclear, Luhut Pandjaitan, coordinating minister of maritime affairs and investment, told local media that they would include seaports, industrial estates, power plants and tourism developments. These could fall under the umbrella of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China’s global strategy for enhancing trade through infrastructure development. Closing the Gap The infrastructure projects proposed for Chinese involvement are planned in four locations: North Sumatra, North Kalimantan, North Sulawesi and Bali, which are collectively known as the

Pham Hong Hai-CEO-HSBC Vietnam

Strategic reorientation: How will the international Covid-19 outbreak impact projects associated with China’s Belt and Road Initiative?

Posted OBG AdminPosted in Uncategorized

  The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a far-reaching plan for transnational infrastructure development, linking five continents through land and sea corridors, and industrial clusters. Launched in 2013, it was initially planned to revive ancient trade routes between Eurasia and China, but the scope of the BRI has since extended to cover 138 countries, including 38 in sub-Saharan Africa, and 18 in Latin America and the Caribbean. Financing Needs Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Asian Development Bank estimated that the infrastructure financing needs

Nhon Luc Ly-CEO-AIA Myanmar; Son Nguyen-Country President-Chubb Life Insurance Myanmar; Daw Zarchi Tin-CEO

Taking to the skies: A number of expansion plans are in the pipeline to increase the capacity of the country’s airports

Posted OBG AdminPosted in Uncategorized

  In recent years the number of air passengers in Indonesia has risen rapidly, from 30m in 2009 to more than 115m in 2018. This was largely driven by two factors: the fast-growing middle class, which comprises an estimated 52m people; and the emergence of low-cost carriers, which have significantly improved regional connectivity. The country’s growing popularity as a holiday destination for international tourists has also contributed to this growth, with 10.1m international arrivals by air in 2018 – a 4.3% increase from 2017. As

Daniel Asare-Kyei-CEO-Esoko; Curtis Vanderpuije-CEO-ExpressPay; and Daniel Marfo-General Manager-Zipline Ghana

Road ahead: A new policy framework aims to support the development of electric vehicle manufacturing

Posted OBG AdminPosted in Uncategorized

  The government’s Making Indonesia 4.0 strategy was launched in 2018 and outlines steps to enable the country to capitalise on the evolving trends of manufacturing provided by the Fourth Industrial Revolution. These include the application of new digital and automated technologies to improve production processes and service delivery. Key priorities of the roadmap include the development of a domestic electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing industry. Efforts to develop Indonesia’s EV industry centre on leveraging the country’s rich supplies of nickel laterite ore, the primary input in the lithium-ion batteries that are used to power EVs. Under the government’s strategy, EVs are expected to comprise 20%

Nhon Luc Ly-CEO-AIA Myanmar; Son Nguyen-Country President-Chubb Life Insurance Myanmar; Daw Zarchi Tin-CEO

Vital deliveries: The global distribution of medical goods and foodstuffs has become the primary focus of efforts to keep essential supply chains open during the Covid-19 pandemic

Posted OBG AdminPosted in Uncategorized

  As globalisation has increased, the world’s supply chains have become substantially more interconnected. Moreover, as emerging market economies have steadily come to account for a greater proportion of global GDP, goods often have more stages to pass through before reaching the end consumer. From national lockdowns to closed airspace and borders, the spread of Covid-19 in the first half of 2020 resulted in unprecedented disruption to the mechanics of most economies, regardless of their size or stage of development. In particular, the erection of

Nhon Luc Ly-CEO-AIA Myanmar; Son Nguyen-Country President-Chubb Life Insurance Myanmar; Daw Zarchi Tin-CEO

Red-carpet treatment: The popularity of modest fashion is growing, attracting the attention of top international brands

Posted OBG AdminPosted in Uncategorized

  In recent years modest fashion inspired by Islam has shifted from a niche market to the mainstream, with designs that appeal to religious consumers appearing at major fashion weeks, and global clothing brands such as H&M, Macy’s, and Marks & Spencer launching their own labels. Now in the limelight, modest fashion is expected to grow substantially. Spending on modest apparel reached $270bn in 2017 and is anticipated to grow by around 5% annually to reach approximately $361bn by 2023, according to the “State of

Daouda Coulibaly-Managing Director-Société Ivoirienne de Banque

Integrated expansion: To achieve more sustainable urban redevelopment, communities are being established near new transit centres

Posted OBG AdminPosted in Uncategorized

  The completion of mass rapid transit (MRT) systems, intercity rail links and toll roads in recent years throughout Indonesia has heralded the emergence of transit-oriented developments (TODs) in real estate. These are intended to maximise the convenience of major transport centres, thereby reducing the collective dependence on private motor vehicles. TOD Communities A modern TOD typically constitutes a multi-purpose, pedestrianised community hub that contains places of residence, employment and recreation near high-capacity public transport facilities. These developments generally seek to offer sustainable, healthy living

Éric N’guessan-Managing Partner-EY Côte d’Ivoire

Self-sufficient ambitions: Strengthening the automotive segment is seen as a means to reduce steel imports and bolster value-added production

Posted OBG AdminPosted in Uncategorized

  Steel consumption in Indonesia is forecast to rise from 15.1m tonnes in 2018 to 22.7m tonnes in 2024. Most demand is expected to come from the government’s infrastructure drive; however, a limited production capacity and highly competitive prices for imported steel has led authorities to call for greater investment in its steel industry and for the expansion and diversification of value-added steel production. Officials hope the drive to create a more accommodating regulatory environment for investors and the country’s stable overall macroeconomic indicators will

Daniel Asare-Kyei-CEO-Esoko; Curtis Vanderpuije-CEO-ExpressPay; and Daniel Marfo-General Manager-Zipline Ghana

Capital investment: Global interest rises in the development of a new capital city

Posted OBG AdminPosted in Uncategorized

  The relocation of the capital from Jakarta to East Kalimantan on Borneo looks set to create major investment opportunities if approved by Parliament. In August 2019 President Joko Widodo, better known as President Jokowi, stated that 20% of the estimated $33bn required for the development would be supplied by the state, leaving 80% open to state-owned enterprises (SOEs), public-private partnerships and private investors. Key Players SOEs will play a major role in the construction of the new capital city’s hard infrastructure. Those with experience and an existing presence in Kalimantan are in a strong position to secure tenders for the move’s constituent developments. State-owned

Nhon Luc Ly-CEO-AIA Myanmar; Son Nguyen-Country President-Chubb Life Insurance Myanmar; Daw Zarchi Tin-CEO

Boom market: A growing number of international services providers are establishing their first cloud regions in Jakarta

Posted OBG AdminPosted in Uncategorized

  Indonesia’s data centre market is flourishing as global cloud solutions providers race to take advantage of the country’s booming digital economy. Financial benefits from using public cloud services could add as much as $36bn to Indonesia’s economy between 2019 and 2023. According to market research firm Frost & Sullivan, Indonesia’s cloud market could be valued at up to $1.2bn by 2022, driven by demand from Indonesia’s base of more than 60m small and medium-sized enterprises. In April 2019 Amazon Web Services announced that it