The President of the Republic of Indonesia and the Chancellor of Germany Attend the Opening Ceremony of the Hannover Messe 2023
The largest industrial exhibition in the world, Hannover Messe 2023, was officially opened on Monday night (16/4) in Hannover. This year, Indonesia once again received the golden opportunity to become the official partner country. Previously, Indonesia was a partner country at Hannover Messe 2021: Digital Edition during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Opening Ceremony of this largest industrial exhibition was held on Sunday, April 16, 2023 at 18:00 local time.
President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, along with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, attended the opening ceremony of Hannover Messe 2023 held at the Hannover Congress Centrum in Hannover. The inauguration by the two leaders marks the start of the annual exhibition that has been running for more than 74 years.
Indonesia raised the theme of Making Indonesia 4.0 at Hannover Messe 2023. The President mentioned that the theme of Making Indonesia 4.0 is very relevant for Indonesia, which is undergoing economic transformation through innovation and technology. "Currently, Indonesia is pursuing two major strategies, namely industrial downstreaming and green economy," said President Joko Widodo.
The industrial downstreaming policy is supported by abundant natural resources, demographic bonuses, and a large market, as well as a stable economy. With these advantages, Indonesia wants to become a major player in the electric vehicle (EV) industry. "Indonesia is very open to investment and cooperation in building downstream industries in Indonesia. Until 2040, there are 21 commodities in the downstreaming roadmap, projected to reach an investment value of USD 545.3 billion," the President conveyed.
In terms of green economy, Indonesia is strongly committed to maintaining environmental sustainability. The target is that by 2023, 23% of energy will come from new and renewable energy (EBT), and all coal-fired power plants will be closed by 2025. However, Indonesia must ensure that the energy transition can produce affordable energy for the public. "Of course, this requires investment, requires large financing, at least USD 1 trillion until 2060. Indonesia invites investors from Germany to develop a green economy. Once again, Indonesia is very open to investment and cooperation," said the President.
In line with what was conveyed by the President of RI, the German Chancellor stated that Indonesia will soon become a member of the "cooperative climate club" due to its target to fully decarbonize the electricity sector in 2025. "Furthermore, Germany will encourage investment among the G7 countries to Indonesia, reaching €E10 billion. I invite all of you, companies from Germany, to take this opportunity to ensure that this spirit needs to be appreciated," said Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
As part of the opening ceremony, Deutsche Messe AG (DMAG) as the organizer also announced the winner of the Hermes Award presented by Federal Minister of Education and Research, Bettina Stark-Watzinger. The Hermes Award is an international technology award for Hannover Messe that can be participated by all companies registered as exhibitors at Hannover Messe 2023. The winner of the Hermes Award at Hannover Messe 2023 is Bosch Rexroth, which is considered to meet the criteria for technological innovation, industrial usefulness, the environment, and society.
Hannover Messe 2023 will be held for the next five days, until April 21, 2023, at the Hannover Fairground. In this event, Indonesia collaborates with 157 co-exhibitors from industrial actors, including industrial startups, associations, industrial zones, Special Economic Zones, and educational institutions, as well as the National Capital of the Archipelago Country (IKN).
