Outgoing Indonesian President Joko Widodo—or “Jokowi” to many Indonesians—is leaving office on a high. Jokowi is extremely popular, at times boasting an 80% approval rating. He's boosting Indonesia's profile, taking part in high-profile summits around geopolitical crises like the wars in Ukraine and Israel. And the leading candidates to replace him in next February’s election have signaled they will continue his development-focused policies, at times labeled as protectionist by other governments.
One such policy has proved surprisingly successful. The Jokowi administration banned nickel ore exports in January 2020 in a bid to establish more domestic smelters. Nickel is a product that is used in making stainless steel or batteries, and the government wanted to sell more value-added nickel products instead of just exporting raw nickel.
