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Bandung-Namur: smart cities agreement

The City of Namur has welcomed a delegation from the City of Bandung led by its Mayor Mochamad Ridwan Kamil. This visit is part of the inter-municipal agreement which is due to be signed next autumn.

In March 2016, during a royal trade mission in Indonesia, the City of Bandung was held up as a typical example of a smart city in Asia and as an opportunity to trade with a rapidly growing country. This is why the Wallonia Export-Investment Agency has asked the City of Namur, a "smart city" and capital of Wallonia to take steps towards closer ties.

In December of the same year, a draft agreement was produced and approved by the Namur municipal council. They were therefore meeting with their Indonesian counterparts to present the process and the city's projects.

The meeting took place on 8 May at the town hall where Anne Barzin, Alderwoman with Mayoral Powers, met with Mochamad Ridwan Kamil and his associates. The delegation was accompanied by managers from the Asian office of the Wallonia Export-Investment Agency.

They then visited the citizens' house and the Urban Planning pavilion, two projects that may become a source of inspiration for the municipal authorities of Bandung. The delegation was treated to a discovery tour of the city centre, enhanced by a visit to TreM. A, the Namur Provincial Museum of Ancient Arts.

The afternoon was dedicated to meeting with businesses. Dog Studio, which develops e-commerce solutions, web designs, CMS, visual identity, video, mobile, social networks, training courses, liferay and games, was selected for the occasion. The discussion focused on the KIKK Festival during which the Mayor of Bandung invited the festival organisers to consider the possibility of organising a KIKK Festival in Bandung.

In the evening, Maxime Prévot, Mayor of Namur and Anne Barzin organised a dinner meeting which included the Ambassador of Indonesia, the Wallonia Export-Investment Agency, the University of Namur and the Albert Jacquart High School, which recently conducted an infographics project with an Indonesian University. The opportunity for the Mayor to meet the Mayor of Bandung.

The official signing of the inter-municipal agreement will take place next October following Europalia Indonesia.  

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