Durrant Pate/ Contributor
Jamaica is throwing the doors wide open to do increased business with Indonesia by participating in the Indonesia-Latin American and Caribbean (INA-LAC) Business Forum, now taking place in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.

The Jamaican Chamber of Commerce (JCC), which is representing Jamaica at the event, indicated that Jamaica’s doors are 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.” 

Alex Morrisey, a member of the JCC team in Jakarta, speaking with Jakarta Globe on the sidelines of the INA-LAC Business Forum earlier today, remarked: “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.” 

Opportunities in e-commerce

The JCC is prospecting for business opportunities in e-commerce given the high Internet penetration in Jamaica as in Indonesia. It has been observed that Jamaica and Indonesia’s internet penetration are quite similar.

According to survey firm Statista, 82.36 per cent of Jamaicans had access to the Internet as of 2021. The Internet Service Providers Association reported earlier this year that Indonesia’s Internet penetration had reached 78.19 per cent.

Indonesia is home to several e-commerce giants, including Tokopedia, which has merged with the mobile online on-demand service Gojek.

Waste management firms are welcome

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

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

The Jamaican businessman told Jakartsa Globe that his country had a friendly investment climate, adding that “Jamaica is definitely open for business. Our economy and credit ratings are stable. We have eliminated the red tapes”.

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