Korea to help 16 African nations in rural development, agriculture

By Kim Se-jeong

Staff reporter

Korea has signed an agreement with 16 African nations on cooperation in rural development and agriculture in an attempt to extend its influence over the continent.

In the presence of ministers and government officials from 16 African countries, the Rural Development Agency's (RDA) president signed last Tuesday a memorandum of understanding, titled the Korea-Africa Food and Agriculture Cooperation Initiative (KAFACI), at the Westin Chosun Hotel, Seoul.

In the circumstances where more than 80 percent of the African population lives in rural areas, suffering from food shortages, the focus of the initiative will be on building of capacity.

"We hope that the initiative will contribute to food security and alleviating poverty on the African continent," said Kim Jae-soo, administrator of the RDA.

The initiative took almost one year to shape.

Out of 50-something nations on the continent, the RDA in collaboration with Korean embassies in Africa, carefully went through to select about 25.

"We selected countries that have been on good terms with Korea," Kim Hong-sik, a RDA researcher who is involved in KAFACI told The Korea Times.

Of 25, 16 countries have responded to Korea with interest.

In the next couple of months, the RDA and its African partners will brainstorm for bilateral and multilateral projects.

Next year, with 49 billion won in hand, it will be able to get real projects off the ground.

The African participants were thrilled.

Sudanese Ambassador to Seoul Mohamed Salah Eldin Abbas said that is the kind of "partnership" that he has been advocating for in Korea as a diplomat.

S. A. Assefa, secretary general of the Ethiopian Institute of Agriculture Research, said the technology transfer from Korea is much anticipated for a country like his.

"Agriculture is basis of the Ethiopian economy. Agriculture is where 85 percent of the total workforce find their jobs, where 43 percent of the nation's GDP comes from, and where 90 percent of national revenue is generated," Assefa said in his speech.

The agricultural sector is the least touched sector among others, such as natural resources or industrial production.

The RDA's project is anticipated to work in sync with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) that implements overseas development aid. It dispatches volunteers overseas or receives people for training.

The official Kim said the two entities won't clash. "It will be different."

KAFACI is the biggest in terms of size, but not the first.

Over the past 40 years, the RDA has received nearly 500 African trainees.

"We found African nations had a great interest in learning the Korean experience in agriculture," he said.

Also, the RDA was a must for dignitaries who visited Korea.

With countries such as Kenya and Uganda, the entity has run bilateral projects, which contributed to rice production increase.