Pan Africa is a textile joint venture between an Indonesian garment company and a South African micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSMEs).
“The most concrete aspect of bilateral cooperation is the establishment of a factory using local resources and knowledge. Today, we see a manifestation of good intentions and feelings between the two countries “According to Salman Al Farisi, the Indonesian Ambassador to South Africa, as reported in a statement released by the Indonesian Embassy in Pretoria and received here on Monday.
“With a focus on empowering small businesses and women, this kind of partnership model, in my view, is doable to operate on in a non-traditional market like Africa,” Ambassador Al Farisi said at the Pan Africa launch and inauguration event in the heart of Johannesburg’s business and commercial district.
Pan Africa is a joint venture between Pan Brothers Tbk, Indonesia’s largest garment firm, and Faithfulness, a South African MSME.
Ambassador Al Farisi praised the launch of Pan Africa, which he described as an ideal arrangement of mutually beneficial partnership, at the joint venture company’s inauguration ceremony.
Anggun Paramita Mahdi, Head of the Indonesia Trade Promotion Center in Johannesburg, and Selina Siganga, Director of Faithfulness, accompanied the Indonesian ambassador.
Siganga is the founder and senior managing director of the Faithfulness Business Enterprise, which has long provided product suppliers with consultancy services.
At the same time, the CEO of ITPC Johannesburg expressed his belief that the company’s success can serve as a model and pilot project for other Indonesian products, especially PPE, to enter and be accepted in the South African market.
Meanwhile, Anne Patricia Sutanto, Deputy Managing Director of Pan Brothers Indonesia, expressed gratitude for the assistance and help received from the Indonesian Embassy in Pretoria and ITPC Johannesburg during the initial phase of establishing Pan Africa in an online statement.
Sutanto was also hopeful that the Pan Africa factory’s opening would signal the beginning of a longer-term partnership.
The Indonesian representatives saw the launch of the Pan Africa operations as a positive success in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Indonesian Embassy in Pretoria is dedicated to maintaining economic diplomacy, including through the facilitation of business-to-business transactions.
The Indonesian Embassy in Pretoria will continue to work on new deals with South Africa in 2021, ranging from visa-free travel to socio-cultural diplomacy.
