Jakarta, 18 February 2026: ERIA, in collaboration with the Trade Policy Agency (BKPerdag) of Ministry of Trade of Indonesia, launched the Toolkit for Trade Policy Analysis Training, with its first session held at the ERIA office in Jakarta on 18 February 2026.

Running from 18 February to 13 May 2026, the training programme aims to strengthen the analytical capacity of government officials and researchers in conducting rigorous, evidence-based trade policy analysis. The initiative reflects a shared commitment by ERIA and the Ministry of Trade to enhance institutional capacity amid increasingly complex global trade dynamics.

The opening session featured remarks from Mr Naoto Okura, Director General for Research and Policy Design at ERIA, and Mr Muhammad Suaib Sulaiman, Secretary of the Trade Policy Agency, represented by Mr Sigit Purnomo, Senior Expert Analyst in Civil Service Human Resources. Both speakers underscored the importance of continuous learning in trade policy analysis, emphasising that effective policymaking requires not only sound theoretical foundations but also practical analytical tools and strong data interpretation skills.

The lecture was delivered by Dr Ben Shepherd, Principal of Developing Trade Consultants (DTC), a distinguished trade economist and international development consultant.

In the first session, titled Introduction to Trade Theory and Policy, Dr Shepherd introduced core trade theories, explaining the benefits and costs of trade and how these affect different stakeholder groups. He highlighted how the choice of analytical framework - such as partial versus general equilibrium models, or Ricardian and Heckscher-Ohlin approaches - can significantly influence analytical outcomes and policy recommendations. He also emphasised that trade openness can generate welfare gains through differences in comparative advantage and market size, while tariffs often reduce overall welfare and risk triggering trade conflicts. In this context, he stressed the growing importance of international co-operation in today's interconnected global value chains.

Subsequent sessions in the programme will address topics including indicators for inclusive trade, econometric and computational modelling of trade flows, services trade measurement, and approaches to translating research findings into actionable policy insights.

Conducted in a hybrid format, the opening session was attended by selected participants from various units within the Ministry of Trade and ERIA. The interactive discussion following the lecture reflected strong engagement and enthusiasm amongst participants.