Johannesburg, South Africa - Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) Anindya Novyan Bakrie underscored the importance of strengthening South–South cooperation and remaining vigilant about a potential artificial intelligence (AI) technology bubble.

Anindya commonly known as Anin conveyed this message during a panel discussion titled “Making Global Business Work” at the Bloomberg Africa Business Summit held at the Johannesburg Marriott on Tuesday (18/11/2025) local time.

During the session, Anin highlighted the rapid advancement of AI, which he believes presents both opportunities and risks that must be anticipated.

“In digitalization, especially AI, we need to be part of its development, but we also need to be cautious about the possibility of a bubble emerging from the West, similar to the dot-com era in 2000,” Anin said.

He added that both engineers and users still find it difficult to predict where the technology is heading.

“I believe in AI. Many jobs will disappear, but new ones will also be created. We need to harness it to boost productivity,” he stated.

Anin further highlighted the historical ties between Indonesia and Africa, which have been built since the 1955 Asian-African Conference. He emphasized that both regions still hold vast economic collaboration potential.

“Let me share a bit about our relationship with Africa. Since 1955, we have believed in South–South cooperation. About a month ago, the President of South Africa (Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa) visited Indonesia. We had very good discussions, but I think the foundation of our relationship remains relatively low,” Anin noted.

Anin pointed out that Indonesia’s economy is valued at USD 1.3 trillion and South Africa’s at around USD 0.5 trillion, yet bilateral trade between the two nations only amounts to USD 2.5 billion.

He went on to explain that Indonesia’s transition toward green industrialization opens new opportunities for cooperation, including in critical minerals provided value creation remains within each respective region.

“We have no issue working with either the East or the West, but the value-added must remain,” he stressed.

“We are optimistic about Africa. South–South collaboration is very strong and must be further strengthened to ensure smarter and more sustainable shared growth,” Anin concluded.

The panel session titled “Making Global Business Work” at the 2025 Bloomberg Africa Business Summit also featured other speakers, including Egypt’s Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Hassan El Khatib, and President of International Standard Chartered Bank PLC, Benjamin Hung.