The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) is encouraging more investors to enter East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) to create more jobs.

Chairman of Kadin Indonesia's Renewable Energy Standing Committee, Jaya Wahono, said that limited employment is the main cause of poverty in NTT.

‘It should be noted that the problem of poverty, especially in underdeveloped areas such as in NTT, the main root is employment,’ he said after the Impact Investment Day (IID) organised by Kadin and Yayasan Bambu Lingkungan Lestari (YBLL) in Labuan Bajo, on 7-8 September 2024.

Due to limited job opportunities, Jaya continued, many NTT residents choose to work outside the region and even abroad. Therefore, Kadin encourages NTT to become an investment destination, so that it can absorb local labour.

‘We want to encourage NTT to become an investment destination and people who have done business in their neighbourhood or businesses in their neighbourhood want to live in NTT and employ their siblings and neighbours and also local people so that there is no need for NTT people to look for work in Java,’ he explained.

He asked the local government to cooperate with Kadin to open investment opportunities in NTT. Kadin, he said, is ready to promote business opportunities in the area to attract investors.

‘We urge the regional government to also interact with the regional Kadin intensively, not just at big events but also always have active communication, be it investment opportunities, trade opportunities or other things,’ he said.

Jaya also noted that there is an increasing interest from foreign investors to invest in sectors that have social impact and are environmentally friendly. He explained that climate change issues affect investment decisions, and pointed out the need to look for opportunities in more sustainable investments.

‘Massive investments must be considered not only in terms of infrastructure, but also in terms of their impact on the environment and community welfare. Investors now prefer to work with companies that are committed to collaborative growth,’ Jaya added.

IID 2024 was organised to encourage a more sustainable economy. The event provides an opportunity for various impact drivers, including social enterprises and organisations to collaborate with impact advocates, such as investors and philanthropy.

The theme of this year's IID is ‘Championing Sustainable and Restorative Initiatives in Indonesia’. Jaya hopes that through this event, it can encourage impact drivers or socialpreneurs to agree to continue improving the environment in their place, so that the businesses they manage can survive and be emulated by other regions in Indonesia.