Singapore and Indonesia to Share Expertise and Experience on E-Commerce Logistics

Learning exchange to focus on two tracks in public administration and technical education as part of bilateral efforts to develop a digital economy

Temasek Foundation International, Singapore Cooperation Enterprise and Republic Polytechnic will collaborate with the Government of the Republic of Indonesia to exchange knowledge in the area of e-commerce logistics. This collaboration will focus on the areas of public administration and education and builds on the commitment from both countries to develop a digital economy, which was announced at the
Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat in September 2017. To formalise the collaboration, three Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) were signed among the parties today, covering two learning-exchange programmes in e-commerce logistics.

The first MOU was signed between the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs Indonesia and Singapore Cooperation Enterprise. The 24-month programme is supported by Temasek Foundation International through a grant of SGD $620,899, which will go towards supporting the workshops and sharing sessions that will take place in Indonesia and Singapore, and will be co-funded by the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs. Representing the two organisations were Mr Erwin Raza, Assistant to Deputy for National Logistics Development, Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, and Mr Kong Wy Mun, Chief Executive Officer of
Singapore Cooperation Enterprise.

The second and third MOUs were signed between Republic Polytechnic and the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education of the Republic of Indonesia and Republic Polytechnic and POS Indonesia Educational Foundation respectively. The representatives of the organisations were Dr Michael Koh, Deputy Principal (Academic Services), Republic Polytechnic, Dr Ir Paristiyanti Nurwardani, Director of Learning of the Directorate General of Learning and Student Affair, Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education,
Indonesia and Mr Hariyanto, Chairman, POS Indonesia Educational Foundation. Temasek Foundation International has committed a grant of SGD $482,120 to support the training resources needed for the programme, with the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education and POS Indonesia Education Foundation providing the co-funding for this 24-month programme.

The first and second MOU signings were witnessed by:

Mr Elen Setiadi, Acting Deputy for Commerce and Industry, Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs
Mr Gilarsi Wahju Setijono, President-Director of PT Pos Indonesia (Persero)
Ambassador Anil Kumar Nayar, Singapore’s Ambassador to the Republic of Indonesia
Mr Benedict Cheong, Chief Executive, Temasek Foundation International

Two-Pronged Approach to enhance Indonesia’s e-commerce Industry

According to the Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs, Indonesia, the two programmes will contribute towards Indonesia’s e-commerce roadmap implementation. As part of the roadmap, state-owned enterprise PT Pos Indonesia (Persero) has been appointed as the coordinating agency for the implementation because of its wide networks across Indonesia.

Mr Elen Setiadi, Acting Deputy for Commerce and Industry of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, Indonesia said,

“We are very grateful to Temasek Foundation International Singapore for the good cooperation and support for both programmes which will contribute towards the improvement of human resource skills in the field of e-commerce logistics.”

To officially kick off both learning-exchange programmes, some 100 public sector leaders and education specialists from related government agencies and education institutions gathered today in a half-day Leadership Workshop today facilitated by Singapore Cooperation Enterprise and Republic Polytechnic. Through the workshop, participants will share ecommerce related challenges from their area of work. The workshop will allow the participants to have a deeper appreciation and understanding of different perspectives on e-commerce.

Sharing Experience and Challenges in Public Policy

The first programme, with the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs and Singapore Cooperation Enterprise, aims to build capabilities of 100 officials from the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, the Ministry of State-owned Enterprises and their associated agencies including PT Pos Indonesia (Persero), industry associations, and government-linked organisations in Indonesia to develop a strategy
for e-commerce logistics. Singapore Cooperation Enterprise will aggregate relevant expertise from Singapore’s public and private sectors in delivering the programme through a series of customised workshops. Through the programme, participants will be able to obtain an understanding of how relevant policies, strategies, logistics infrastructure, support services and fringe industries come together to create a
conducive and holistic ecosystem for the development of e-commerce activities.

Mr Gilarsi Wahju Setijono, President-Director of PT Pos Indonesia (Persero), said,

“The relevance of Pos Indonesia and other players in the logistics industry is pretty much dependent on whether or not we are capable to cope with changes and disruptions within the industry. This cooperation is one of the important efforts to play a strong role and provide the best service in e-commerce logistics. Through this cooperation, Pos Indonesia’s human resources can gain the valuable knowledge and experiences.”

Mr. Kong Wy Mun, Chief Executive Officer of Singapore Cooperation Enterprise, said,

“As part of our nation’s drive towards a digital economy and integrated ASEAN, Singapore recognises the importance of connectivity to support a rampant growth of e-commerce in the region. We are continuously upgrading our policies and infrastructure to promote a rapidly expanding and conducive ecommerce ecosystem. We are glad to be able to share this experience and hope that this cooperation will offer the participants valuable insights in developing a high-level strategy framework on e-commerce logistics to complement Indonesia’s efforts in this area.”

Building Capability in Technical Education for E-commerce Logistics

The second programme, delivered by Republic Polytechnic in partnership with the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education and POS Indonesia Education Foundation will focus on enhancing technical education courses in supply chain management for e-commerce offered by leading polytechnics in Indonesia. The programme will reach out 120 participants, including 105 specialists and 15 leaders from four polytechnics and relevant government agencies.

Dr Ir Paristiyanti Nurwardani, Director of Learning, Directorate General of Learning and Student Affairs, Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education, said,

“We would like to thank Temasek Foundation International and Republic Polytechnic for working with us and other related Indonesia stakeholders in this collaboration. The Training-of-Trainers and cascading training workshops, as well as the sharing of expertise in supply chain management and ecommerce will generate positive learning outcomes and support the development of human resources at participating polytechnics in Indonesia.”

Republic Polytechnic’s Problem-based Learning (PBL) pedagogy, a learner-centric approach with strong industry focus will be shared with the participants to enhance curriculum delivery of logistics and supply chain management courses. Other training components include pedagogy and curriculum development, LEAN thinking[1] for supply chain management, supply chain analytics, and disruptive technologies in ecommerce. Thereafter, the programme participants will further share their learning with another 100 individuals.

Republic Polytechnic’s Deputy Principal (Academic Services), Dr Michael Koh said,

“For over 15 years, RP has provided students with a holistic learning experience and nurtured them into industry-ready professionals. Through the sharing of RP’s Problem-based Learning pedagogy, coupled with our institution’s capabilities in supply chain management, we hope to equip participants with effective curriculum design, delivery and assessment skills that allows them to respond to the changing dynamics of the industry.

We look forward to sharing our pedagogical practices and knowledge with the Indonesian polytechnics through this partnership with the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education Indonesia and POS Indonesia Education Foundation.”

Mr Benedict Cheong, Chief executive, Temasek Foundation International, said,

“Strong public institutions and education are key drivers for the economic and social development of a community. This is why Temasek Foundation International supports programmes in public administration as well as programmes in education. This is the first time the Foundation is supporting two complementing learning-exchange programmes from different focus areas under the overall theme of e-commerce logistics. We are delighted to partner the Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs, Indonesia and the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education, Indonesia on these two programmes. Through the programmes, we hope there will be fruitful exchange of knowledge and experience, with new insights and ideas generated and networks of cooperation strengthened.”

Jointly Issued by Temasek Foundation International, Singapore Cooperation Enterprise and Republic Polytechnic