Prabowo showcases 18 strategic projects to U.S. investors

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto on Wednesday introduced 18 strategic downstream projects to U.S. business leaders in Washington, underscoring the government’s drive to accelerate economic transformation and reduce dependence on raw material exports. 

Speaking at a Business Summit hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Prabowo said the projects reflect Indonesia’s push to expand domestic processing industries, strengthen value-added production, and reinforce national industrial competitiveness. 

“We have just launched 18 downstream projects this year,” Prabowo said, adding that the initiatives are designed to boost industrial capacity, generate jobs, and strengthen the country’s economic structure. 

The projects span sectors including aluminum smelting, stainless steel, copper processing, chemical-grade alumina, iron and steel, coal gasification to dimethyl ether, solar modules, oil refining, oil storage, asphalt, oleochemicals, bioavtur, seaweed processing, coconut-based industries, carrageenan, manganese sulfate, chlor-alkali plants, and aquaculture processing. 

Prabowo also said the government is preparing a US$3 billion waste-to-energy project to strengthen environmental management while improving national energy security. 

He added that Indonesia's sovereign wealth fund, Danantara, will serve as the main vehicle to finance and accelerate the implementation of the downstream projects. 

Prabowo said strengthening processing industries is crucial for Indonesia to move up the global supply chain and position itself as a competitive manufacturing hub. 

"We are moving very fast in all these sectors, and we see Indonesia not only as an attractive market, but also as a production base and a strategic partner in the region,” he said. 

The government is also accelerating the development of supporting infrastructure, including ports, airports, and toll roads, to improve logistics efficiency and investment competitiveness. 

Prabowo said the downstream push is closely linked to Indonesia’s energy transition agenda, with commitments to expand renewable energy, electric vehicles, and green industries through a pragmatic, capacity-based approach.