RGE was a regional partner of the 24th World Economic Forum on East Asia 2015, which took place in Jakarta from 19 to 21 April. The event, known as “Asia’s Davos” in reference to the WEF’s annual global gathering in Switzerland, was attended by some 700 participants from 40 countries, including political leaders, business leaders and representatives from non-governmental organisations. The RGE delegation was led by RGE Founder and Chairman, Sukanto Tanoto.
Speaking on the sidelines of the forum, Sukanto Tanoto said that “WEF EA is a good and neutral platform for participants from various backgrounds – government officers, businessman, NGOs and other stakeholders – to share information, exchange views and learn from one another.”
Indonesian President Joko Widodo delivered a keynote speech in the opening session of the forum, centred on the theme ‘Anchoring Trust in East Asia’s New Regionalism’. With the growing competitiveness and volatility in the world economy, including the fluctuations in currencies and drop in commodity prices, Jokowi, as he is familiarly known, acknowledged that Indonesian economy now faced significant challenges and he emphasized that Indonesia needs to re-invent itself by transitioning from consumption to production and to investment in infrastructure, industry and human capital.
This is in line with the focus of RGE, the group of resource-based manufacturing companies managed by Sukanto Tanoto. As can be seen in the development of the town of Kerinci in Riau Province, on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, APRIL Group, the pulp and paper business of RGE, has built one of the world’s largest integrated pulp and paper mill and a company town that can house up to 7,000 people and includes schools, medical facilities, leisure facilities, religious facilities, sporting grounds and other amenities for employees and their families. APRIL Group has also invested significantly in infrastructure to take its products to market including roads, ports and an airport.
Summing up the takeaways from the forum, Kevin Tio, Managing Director of Asian Agri, the palm oil business of RGE, said “I’m most positive about the outlook on the Indonesian economy, where the government is willing to work with the communities, the public, to understand their issues, and also listen to the private sector and understand our issues, and how we can take Indonesia forward.”
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