REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- During a meeting with President Joko Widodo in Jakarta, Wednesday, President of the World Bank Group Jim Yong Kim offered a loan worth US$11 billion to Indonesia for a period of four years.
"Kim, along with a delegation of the World Bank, just met President Joko Widodo. In the meeting, Kim reaffirmed that World Bank is Indonesia's partner," Minister of Finance Bambang Brodjonegoro stated here, Wednesday.
According to Bambang, the meeting focused on three aspects: health, especially related to maternal and infant nutrition, improving business in Indonesia, and tourism development.
"In the tourism sector, the World Bank is supporting the president's program to attract more tourists to Indonesia," Bambang remarked.
We are keen to facilitate the member country to benefit from the World Bank, Kim affirmed.
The loan comprises US$8 billion from the World Bank (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, or IBRD), and US$3 billion derived from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MITA).
The amount of loan to Indonesia has increased by 25 percent as compared to the previous 4-year period.
"We would like to share global knowledge and technical assistance with Indonesia in sectors such as energy, economy, maritime, and community service," Kim pointed out.
Kim said the World Bank's key objective is to end extreme poverty by 2030 and to increase the number of people in the low- and middle-income class categories.
Kim acknowledged Indonesia's economic growth, which grew on an average of six percent in the last decade, and lauded all efforts to reduce extreme poverty by 11.3 percent.
"Helping 25 million people break free from the shackles of poverty within less than a generation is a huge achievement," he added.
Kim reaffirmed the World Bank's commitment to build and expand its partnership with Indonesia.
"Our meeting with President Joko Widodo was very inspiring and was headed in the right direction. President Joko Widodo's focus to develop infrastructure has instilled a sense of confidence in me regarding the future of Indonesia," Kim stated.
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