Korea seeks to boost ties with Afica
Korea and African countries have come together to build stronger economic and diplomatic ties beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under the theme of “Strengthening Korea-Africa Partnership in the post-COVID19 Era,” the 5th Korea-Africa Forum was held on March 3 in Seoul.
Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and ministerial-level officials from African Union (AU) member states, including Senegal, Malawi, Libya, and Chad, discussed partnerships in public health, trade and investment, and peace and security.
The forum resulted in the Seoul Declaration, calling for cooperation in these sectors and a framework for cooperation to accelerate industrialization in Africa and expand Korea’s global supply chain by 2026.
The African Union looks forward to Korean automotive players’ technical cooperation to enable goods made in Africa to meet international standards.
Another area with high potential for economic growth is agro-processing, or activities to transform agricultural products into different forms.
The continent could offer its geographical assets for agriculture, including water and favorable weather conditions, in exchange for Korea’s technical cooperation in manufacturing to meet the international sanitary and phytosanitary standards for processing.
Regarding the efforts to enable exchanges, the commissioner welcomed the two parties’ agreement in promoting human exchanges via scholarship programs and research and development.
The Korea-Africa Forum is a ministerial meeting held every three to five years following Korea’s Initiative for African Development in 2006. The next forum will be held in 2026.
