East Java pursues strategic partnership with Morocco across investment, education and trade

East Java pursues strategic partnership with Morocco across investment, education and trade

East Java is seeking to establish a strategic partnership with the Kingdom of Morocco across multiple sectors, including investment, fisheries, cultural exchange, and education, Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa announced following a meeting with Morocco's ambassador to Indonesia.

The governor outlined the collaboration framework during a courtesy visit by Ambassador Redouane Houssaini at the Grahadi State Building in Surabaya on Monday, August 3, 2026.

"We discussed numerous productive potential areas for collaboration, ranging from trade, manufacturing, agriculture, and fisheries, to education, including scholarship opportunities to Morocco," Parawansa stated.

Economic foundations for partnership

East Java's economy, with a gross domestic product of approximately Rp 2,800 trillion (about USD 155 billion) in 2025, positions the province as Indonesia's second-largest provincial economy after Jakarta. The province's 41.5 million residents make it the country's second-most populous region after West Java, providing a substantial workforce and consumer base.

Manufacturing drives over 30% of East Java's gross regional domestic product, with key industries including textiles, automotive components, cement, and shipbuilding. The governor emphasized that this industrial strength, combined with modern agriculture, trade infrastructure, and a competitive workforce, creates natural synergies with Morocco's economy.

Morocco's economy is projected to grow 5% in 2026, driven by agriculture, manufacturing, construction, and tourism. The North African nation's flagship export industries include automotive, phosphates, aerospace, and fisheries, sectors that align closely with East Java's proposed collaboration areas.

Building on bilateral momentum

The provincial-level partnership discussions come as Indonesia-Morocco relations gain momentum. Since establishing a strategic partnership in 2023, bilateral trade has surged to USD 255 million in 2025, marking a 33% increase from the previous year. Indonesian exports to Morocco totaled approximately USD 154.9 million in 2025, with key commodities including coffee, vegetable oils, rubber products, footwear, textiles, machinery, and electrical equipment.

In July 2026, Indonesia and Morocco signed a Mutual Recognition Agreement on halal certification, advancing the Indonesia-Morocco Preferential Trade Agreement negotiations launched in 2018.

"We welcome these prospective partnerships. Moving forward, we will follow up through more intensive communication so that the collaboration we build will truly benefit the people of East Java and the Kingdom of Morocco," Parawansa said.

Historical and cultural ties

The governor noted that bilateral relations between Indonesia and Morocco are built upon historical foundations dating to the Asian-African independence movements, further strengthened by President Sukarno's 1960 visit to Morocco.

"Both countries share a long history built on the spirit of friendship and a shared struggle. This historical foundation serves as a powerful asset to expand cooperation across various fields today," she said.

In the education sector, Parawansa highlighted the University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez, founded by Fatima al-Fihri in 859 AD. Recognized by UNESCO and Guinness World Records as the world's oldest continuously operating educational institution, the university represents Morocco's academic legacy and commitment to women's empowerment, themes that resonate with East Java's development priorities.

Strategic gateway position

Parawansa emphasized East Java's role as a center for national economic growth and the main gateway to eastern Indonesia. Surabaya, the provincial capital and Indonesia's second-largest city, functions as a major logistics hub and has been one of Asia's historically important trading ports.

Ambassador Houssaini acknowledged East Java's economic potential for establishing long-term partnership with Morocco, confirming that the Moroccan government is opening scholarship opportunities for East Java students.

"We discussed numerous cooperation opportunities between Morocco and East Java in the fields of economy, trade, cultural exchange, education, and smart city development. We are also beginning to outline a cooperation framework that will serve as the foundation for a win-win partnership," the ambassador said.

Houssaini expressed optimism that the relationship currently being fostered with the East Java provincial government will evolve into concrete cooperation providing tangible benefits to the people of both Morocco and East Java.