Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian Communication and Informatics Minister Johnny G. Plate met Google Asia-Pacific President Scott Beaumont at the World Economy Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Monday to follow up on digital ecosystem cooperation.
"Google closely pays attention (to us) since the development of Indonesia’s digital economy has grown positively in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the minister noted in a press release on Tuesday.
He remarked that the economic sector had recorded a seven-percent growth in the first quarter of 2022.
Meanwhile, Google projected that Indonesia's digital economy will potentially grow to US$140 billion (Rp2,042 trillion) by 2025 if the country can optimally utilize the digital space and avoid the misuse of information and communication technology.
Developing the digital economy is one of Indonesia's main strategies to realize economic transformation since it is one of the sectors that is estimated to be able to expedite post-pandemic economic recovery.
Hence, the Indonesian government and Google have collaborated on human resource development programs, utilization of the digital system, as well as the handling of hoax.
"By expanding the (digital) infrastructure network and improving human resources, the digital economy opportunities will become more beneficial (for the community)," Plate remarked.
Digital economic development in Indonesia was driven by changes in the people's behavior due to the pandemic, as they used digital platforms more often on a daily basis for various activities.
The positive trend of digital economic development was directly proportional to the development of investment as shown by a study conducted by Google, Temasek, Bain and Company in 2021 that the investment value of Indonesia's digital economy during the first quarter of 2021 had reached US$4.7 billion (Rp68.58 trillion).
The number exceeded the investment value of the previous four years. Hence, the achievement made Indonesia the most popular investment destination in Southeast Asia and even surpassing Singapore.
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