Indonesia believes that Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE:BABA) CEO, Jack Ma, is the best person to provide advice about e-commerce for the country.
Indonesia has requested the Alibaba CEO to act as the country’s adviser in its efforts in developing its e-commerce industry. The country has the fourth largest population in the world. Indonesia’s population is also young and internet-savvy. This means that it is an ideal market for e-commerce and has already started to attract global investors. The Indonesian government wants to jump on board this movement to help steer its development so that it can fuel its success. The idea is that it will spur more business, boost the economy and help create more jobs.
Alibaba has also been quick to take advantage of opportunities in Asia. A few months ago, the e-commerce giant acquired a controlling stake in an Asian online retailer known as Lazada Group. The Chinese firm bought the stake for roughly $1 billion. The Indonesian government is working on a steering committee that will include ten ministers. The country wants Jack Ma to be the one to provide advice to the committee. The company wants to use the steering committee to push for more growth in the e-commerce industry in Indonesia.
“The thinking behind this is to make Indonesia’s positioning in the international marketplace more prominent,” stated Rudiantara, the Communications and Information minister for Indonesia.
A spokesperson for Alibaba confirmed that Jack Ma was in fact requested to be the country’s adviser on matters related to e-commerce. It is not yet clear whether the Alibaba CEO has accepted the offer. Ma’s philosophy towards e-commerce suggests that he will most likely accept the offer. His firm has been carefully enhancing its reach to more areas especially in Asia. It is also unclear what kind of opportunities that the country will provide to Alibaba.