Indonesia's 2022 G20 Presidency can attract direct foreign investment to the country, executive director of the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef), Tauhid Ahmad, has said. "By looking at Indonesia, though indirectly for several nations, investment from abroad can enter Indonesia. At least that is the expectation," Ahmad told ANTARA here on Tuesday.

However, the potential for incoming investment will be greater if representatives from the G20 members can directly come and see Indonesia for themselves, he said. This would depend on the COVID-19 situation when the G20 forum is held in Indonesia in 2022, he noted. Indonesia can reap other benefits if G20 members provide direct monetary aid and are willing to work out an agreement, he added.

In addition to these benefits, Ahmad said that international acknowledgment of Indonesia's capability can improve by its assuming the G20 Presidency in 2022. With the G20 Presidency, Indonesia will be seen as a country with a stable economy and capable of handling COVID-19, he added. However, he estimated that the G20 Presidency would not have a significant impact on national tourism since not all G20 members would be able to directly visit Indonesia.

Italy is scheduled to hand over the G20 Presidency to Indonesia during the G20 Summit in Rome at the end of October this year. Indonesia will officially assume the presidency from December 1, 2021, until November 2022. The theme for the G20 for 2022 is "Recover Together, Recover Stronger". This will be the first time that Indonesia will chair the G20 leaders' meeting ever since the forum, which has contributed 85 percent to the world's gross domestic product (GDP), was established in 1999.

Source: https://en.antaranews.com/news/190301/g20-presidency-can-attract-investment-to-indonesia-indef