APINDO Central Sulawesi Facilitates Malaysian Business Delegation Exploring Opportunities in Central Sulawesi
Monday, 07 September 2026
BESUSU TENGAH, Central Sulawesi – A group of Malaysian entrepreneurs and business leaders has begun exploring potential business partnerships in Central Sulawesi. The initiative was facilitated by the Central Sulawesi Provincial Leadership Council of the Indonesian Employers Association (DPP APINDO Central Sulawesi) through a business dinner held at Depot Sehati on Friday (September 4, 2026).
The gathering served as an initial platform to connect Central Sulawesi businesspeople with prospective partners from Malaysia. In addition to establishing communication, the meeting explored potential collaboration across several sectors, including investment, tourism, energy, technology, the creative economy, and business development.
Secretary of DPP APINDO Central Sulawesi Ito Lawputra said the meeting was part of an effort to expand business networks while opening opportunities for cooperation with international partners.
He said Central Sulawesi’s potential needs to be introduced directly to prospective investors and business partners so that cooperation can be developed based on the respective needs and capacities of each party.
“This is an opportunity to build relationships, establish communication and explore potential cross-border collaboration going forward. We certainly hope that this communication can develop into concrete cooperation,” Ito said.
He noted that Central Sulawesi has a wide range of development potential, spanning natural resources and industry to tourism and other business sectors. APINDO Central Sulawesi, therefore, is ready to serve as a bridge between local businesses and prospective partners from overseas.
“The most important thing from this meeting is to establish communication first. Through communication and relationship-building such as this, we can identify the potential areas for collaboration between businesses in Central Sulawesi and partners from Malaysia,” he said.
The Malaysian delegation represented a diverse range of business backgrounds. Among them were Eric Tan, CEO of TTL Group of Companies; Raj Kumar Sheth, President of the Malaysian Vegetarian Society, as well as a consultant specializing in management and business, data analysis, insurance and real estate investment.
Also attending was Dato’ Pardip Kumar Kukreja, Executive Chairman of Paradise Group and Chairman of Tara Foundation, who has experience in the travel, tourism and aviation sectors.
Meanwhile, Dato’ S. Vismanathan, Senior Advisor & Director of Spark Consulting Malaysia, focuses on industrial electrification, electric vehicles (EVs), charging infrastructure, renewable energy and sustainable development.
The meeting was also attended by Himanshu Bhatt, Managing Editor of The Sun Malaysia.
Representing Central Sulawesi were Dr. I Nyoman Slamet, S.Pd., M.Si., a member of the Central Sulawesi Provincial Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) for the 2024–2029 term; Sulaeman A. Rasyid, S.Kom., M.M., President Director of Palu Municipal Public Corporation (Perumda Kota Palu); and a number of other business and community leaders.
Ito said the participants’ diverse backgrounds created broader opportunities for exploring potential partnerships. According to him, cross-border business relationships can begin with communication and information exchange before progressing toward more concrete projects or investments.
“We hope this meeting will not end with the business dinner. We want the communication to continue and lead to concrete follow-up initiatives that can benefit the business community and Central Sulawesi’s economy,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, Decky Danadi Chandra, Head of APINDO Central Sulawesi’s Creative Young Entrepreneurs Division, viewed the meeting as an opportunity for local entrepreneurs, particularly younger generations, to build international business networks.
“This is an excellent opportunity to explore business cooperation, including in the creative economy, which can also involve young entrepreneurs,” Decky said.
He expressed hope that communication with Malaysian businesspeople would continue into more concrete discussions, opening new market access and partnership opportunities for businesses in Central Sulawesi.
Source: mercusuar.web.id
