Batubara, N Sumatra (Antara) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) inaugurated the groundbreaking of numerous development projects in North Sumatra here on Tuesday. The projects include the development of Kuala Tanjung Port, Sei Mangkei Special Economic Zone, Kuala Tanjung industrial zone, aluminum diversification project, and Medan-Binjai toll road, among several others. During the groundbreaking ceremony that took place at Kuala Tanjung, President Jokowi expressed optimism that the projects will help to revitalize the economy in the western part of Indonesia. "I am optimistic that if we work hard, the development in Indonesia will be truly materialized," the president affirmed. In the meantime, North Sumatra Governor Gatot Pujo Nugroho emphasized that the development projects will play a strategic role in improving the economy in the province and the western part of Indonesia. He remarked that the Medan-Binjai toll road is one of the four segments of the 2,628-kilometer Trans-Sumatra Highway that will span from Bakauheni in Lampung to Aceh province. The governor noted that the projects will, in future, change the face of North Sumatra's economy, which is based on raw material production for the downstream industry and will certainly offer greater added value.(*)
