Public lecture by UNPRI : “Trade War, AI, and its Significance for Indonesia”
On Monday, June 22, 2026, Universitas Prima Indonesia (UNPRI) successfully organized a public lecture titled “Trade War, AI, and its Significance for Indonesia.”
The keynote speaker was Dr. Jerry Sambuaga, B.A., M.I.A., Chairman of the Central Board of AMPI and former Deputy Minister of Commerce of the Republic of Indonesia (2019-2024). The lecture was moderated by Dr. Fajar Rezeki Ananda Lubis, S.E., M.S.M., Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) at UNPRI.
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According to Jerry Sambuaga, students must possess competitive skills to be successful in the digital age. “To be competitive, students at UNPRI’s FEB must be able to adapt, including mastering AI, which will facilitate all our activities, including in the workplace,” he said. Two students from the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) at the University of Pristina (UNPRI) wondered whether students with academic knowledge and mastery of AI will win the competition, and what skills students should possess in the digital age.
“Whoever is competitive will win. We acknowledge that AI has both negative and positive consequences. Students should not leave everything to AI. Regarding the skills needed in this digital age, I recommend offering your skills to companies and seeing if they are competitive. If not, prepare yourself and take action. If you are competitive, be prepared to compete with graduates from all over the world, not just Indonesian graduates. Today’s world knows no boundaries anymore,” stated one of them.
Dr. Fajar Rezeki Ananda Lubis asked questions about the trade war, and Jerry Sambuaga, who questioned the alleged absence of conflict in Indonesia, stated that global trade is currently full of conflicts, which we call a trade war. “Import tariffs and global commodity prices are determined by various actors. If export tariffs rise, exporters complain. If import tariffs rise, importers complain. And that is not even mentioning the continued strengthening of the dollar,” he added.
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According to him, China, which currently dominates world trade, is capable of deploying AI to increase efficiency, combined with low wages.
“Moreover, their communist government employs a capitalist economic system, making it easier to implement government policy from the top down. If a policy is issued by the central government, it reaches even the village level. In Indonesia, government policy becomes unclear down to the village level because many parties interfere,” he explained.
During the public lecture, which was attended by 800 FEB students, the Vice-Rector II of UNPRI, Prof. Dr. Ermi Girsang, M.Kes., M.Biomed, expressed his appreciation for the presence of Dr. Jerry Sambuaga. “This activity is very useful for increasing students’ insight into global issues relevant to the current development of Indonesia,” he said.
Jerry Sambuaga also expressed his great appreciation for UNPRI’s modern facilities, which he considers crucial for training competitive professionals.
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In his capacity as Vice-Rector of Universitas Pelita Harapan (UPH) Jakarta, Jerry Sambuaga opened the door to exploring cooperation between UNPRI and UPH on various aspects of educational development, such as student exchanges and other partnerships.
This initiative is a positive sign for the expansion of UNPRI’s academic network at the national level. The event was also attended by the Chairman of the Regional Board of AMPI North Sumatra, Dr. David Luther Lubis, SpOG(K), and his staff, as well as Vice-Rector IIb, Prof. Dr. Ermi Girsang, MKes, M.Biomed; Vice-Rector IV UNPRI Dr. Ali Napiah Nasution, M.K.T., M.K.M., Sp.KKLP(K); and Vice-Rector III UNPRI Refi Ikhtiari, S.Si., M.Sc., Ph.D.
As an accredited university, UNPRI remains committed to fostering student talent and enriching their perspectives on global issues.
Through strategic partnerships with leading national figures and educational institutions, UNPRI ensures that all its graduates are equipped to adapt to the global economic and technological transformation. More information about UNPRI’s academic programs can be found on the official website: www.unprimdn.ac.id. ***rel
