CATEGORY: OBG CEO Surveys
After registering an average expansion of 4.4% between 2000 and 2017, GDP growth slowed to 3% in 2018 and an estimated 2.6% in 2019, due to a 4% drop in the value added generated by the agriculture sector. Nevertheless, local business sentiment remains robust, with 78% of respondents to OBG’s fourth Morocco CEO Survey saying they have positive or very positive expectations of business conditions in the coming 12 months. Still, the country has some way to go before reaching its full economic potential, with education identified as being the most important sector to focus on in this regard.
President Joko Widodo placed human capital development at the forefront of his re-election campaign in 2019, mindful that Indonesia will not reach his target of being among the world’s top-five economies by 2045 if it cannot fully harness the power of its large population. Executives agreed that human capital should be the most important policy focus, with 49% of respondents to this survey choosing this option. While there are encouraging signs that the government is taking this into account, improvements to the business environment will be required if Indonesia is to thrive in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.