VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, in collaboration with the Labuan Bajo Flores Authority’s executing agency (BPOLBF), conducted human resource (HR) training on organizing tourism events in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

The training, which took place from December 9–10, 2022, was held with the aim of organizing quality events to boost tourism.

"We must have a qualified event organizer because events are an important element in tourism since they bring a big impact on society, are able to move the economy, open business opportunities, open jobs, become a tourist attraction, drive the regional economy, and are able to revive the tourism sector and the creative economy," the ministry's deputy secretary for resources and institutions, Adela Raung, said at a virtual conference in Labuan Bajo on Saturday.

The training is an effort by the ministry to create superior and competitive tourism human resources in Labuan Bajo's super-priority tourism destination.

In addition, the training is expected to support the organization of a growing number of quality events and help offer an additional attraction to tourists, Raung added.

She then cited several examples of events such as the Labuan Bajo Maritime Festival, IFG Labuan Bajo Marathon, and the G20 side events, which were successfully organized in Labuan Bajo.

According to her, those events could serve as models for events held in Labuan Bajo in the future.

Several BPOLBF work programs have supported event organization in Labuan Bajo, BPOLBF marketing director Raisa Lestari Niloperbowo said.

Besides Ideathon, BPOLBF has also launched a Floratama Academy, which can accommodate event ideas and business incubation.

"We hope this training activity can generate the participants to gain inspiration and provide their idea for event organizing in Labuan Bajo. We want event organizing as one of the attractions in Labuan Bajo," Niloperbowo informed.

The training, which took place at Sylvia Resort Komodo, was attended by 70 participants with different backgrounds such as baristas, entrepreneurs, academics, community organizers, artists, tour guides, project managers, photographers, choreographers, and academics.

The participants received materials on event management, event marketing strategies, designing event activities, and ensuring cleanliness, health, safety, and environmental sustainability (CHSE) while organizing events.

They also received practical training on preparing working papers for organizing events and presenting the papers. (Antaranews)

The Religious Affairs Ministry will hold the Indonesia Halal Festival at Pondok Gede Hajj Dormitory in East Jakarta from December 14–16, 2022, to mark the fifth anniversary of the Halal Certification Agency (BPJPH).

“The Indonesia Halal Festival will serve as a momentum for BPJPH to gather partners who have echoed support for and taken active part in growing the halal ecosystem in Indonesia," BPJPH chief Aqil Irham said in a written statement released in Jakarta on Saturday.

A series of activities, including free halal certification for small and medium businesses, will be held at the festival, he informed.

"During the Indonesia Halal Festival, we will open registration for free halal certification," he said.

In addition, the ministry will launch a consortium of halal laboratories, hold a meeting on halal product guarantees, and organize a halal expo of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

"During the Indonesia Halal Festival, we will also present the Halal Indonesia Awards to BPJPH partners," Irham said.

He then invited business players, particularly MSMEs, to take advantage of the free halal certification service and ensure the halal guarantee of their products as well as strengthen the halal ecosystem in the country.

"Please come to the Indonesia Halal Festival on December 14–16, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. WIB (Western Indonesian Time),” he said. (Antaranews)

The number of Indonesians receiving the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine rose by 14,527 to 203,827,128 as of Saturday afternoon, the COVID-19 Handling Task Force reported.

According to data received from the task force in Jakarta, an additional 22,081 people got the second dose on Saturday, taking the total number of second dose recipients to 174,439,167.

The data showed that the number of people receiving the third dose or first booster rose by 75,015 to 67,506,011.

Meanwhile, 17,380 residents received the fourth dose or second booster, which is specifically being provided to healthcare workers and the elderly, bringing the total number of second booster recipients to 1,016,903.

The government has set itself the target of vaccinating 234,666,020 people against the coronavirus as part of efforts to put an immediate end to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Government Spokesperson for COVID-19 Reisa Broto Asmoro said the administration of the fourth dose or second booster to elderly adults is one of the efforts to end the pandemic earlier.

"This is also an endeavor when we have been vaccinated so that the severity or death risk will be lower. Since it is an endeavor, so it will not be wrong to try," she said.

The pandemic is not yet over, she added. While it is still on, the human body must be made strong to withstand the virus and until now, vaccination has remained effective in preventing an infection.

In fact, antibodies must continue to be formed through vaccinations so that people, particularly the elderly, have optimum protection against developing a severe infection or death.  (Antaranews)

Mining companies and governments in Africa are calling for stronger trade ties with the United States after a new climate law set out incentives for U.S. carmakers sourcing battery materials from trade partners.

The $430 billion Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has been criticised by the European Union and South Korea, who say it could hurt their car industries.

It could also negatively impact African nations that produce battery materials.

The United States has a Free Trade Agreement in place with only one African country, Morocco. Yet the continent is a key copper producer and Democratic Republic of Congo produces most of the world's cobalt.

Battery materials and trade are set to be a focus at next week's U.S.-Africa Leaders' Summit in Washington where President Joe Biden will meet presidents of African countries including Congo.

"The IRA was intended to push out China, and what it's ended up doing is pushing out the DRC, and the EU, and South Korea," said Indigo Ellis, managing director at consultancy Africa Matters Limited, who will attend the Dec. 13-15 summit.

Under IRA, U.S. carmakers will get tax credits if they source at least 40% of battery materials domestically or from American free-trade partners. This risks carmakers replacing Congolese cobalt with Australian, Canadian, Moroccan, or U.S. cobalt.

Congo produced 74% of the world's mined cobalt last year while the next-biggest single producer, Australia, was responsible for just 3%, according to a Cobalt Institute report.

An adviser to Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi said a USA-DRC Free Trade Agreement "is an option for the medium to long-term, but in the short term other avenues will be explored".

A spokesperson for the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) said "we look forward to discussing ways to strengthen and deepen our trade and investment ties with our partners throughout Africa" during the summit.

The IRA aims to boost U.S. mining and processing, which some companies fear could come at the expense of value-added processing in Africa.

"The West needs to work with us to build some value-add," said George Roach, CEO of Premier African Minerals (PREM.L), which has a lithium project in Zimbabwe.

His is one of many projects across sub-Saharan Africa aiming to produce battery materials like lithium, nickel and graphite.

Joe Walsh, managing director at Australia-listed Lepidico (LPD.AX), which is building a lithium mine in Namibia and chemical plant in Abu Dhabi, said the IRA makes the United States a more attractive location for a planned second plant.

"The U.S. is not going to be able to incentivise the development of a significant battery raw material production base of its own without ruffling a few feathers along the way." (Reuters)