Statistics Korea to help boost Africa's statistical capabilities
Statistics Korea Commissioner Lee Hyoung-il, third from left, poses with African Development Bank (AfDB) Vice President Kevin Urama, second from left, after signing an MOU in Busan, Wednesday. At right is Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho and at left is AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina. Courtesy of Statistics Korea
By Yoon Ja-young
Statistics Korea signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the African Development Bank (AfDB) to support the continent achieve the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and make scientific decisions based on statistical capabilities.
The MOU, signed on the 40th anniversary of Korea joining the AfDB, expands Korea's official development assistance (ODA) in the field of statistics to Africa beyond Asia and Latin America.
Following MOUs with international organizations such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Statistics Korea has been transferring advanced statistical methods, including statistical information systems, to nine countries including Vietnam.
At the bilateral meeting with AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina, Statistics Korea Commissioner Lee Hyoung-il said that the MOU laid the foundation for systematic progress in international development cooperation projects in the field of statistics in the African region. “By continuously developing cooperation projects with the bank, we will help the continent fulfill the SDGs based on strengthened statistics capabilities,” Lee said.
Adesina said that the bank plans to systematically support economic and social policymaking in the region by establishing statistics infrastructure in collaboration with Korea's statistics office.