Consolidating Africa Policy

By Elijah N. Munyi

Korea's former President Roh Moo-Hyun and U.S. President George W. Bush will share a fortuitous legacy concerning Africa. While they are exiting the stage of leadership in their respective countries under an aura of dismal ratings, their legacy of African engagement has been commendable.

After more than 25 years of Korea's apathy toward Africa, Roh's presidency reactivated Korean-African relations. It was thus disappointing not to see a greater African presence at President Lee Myung-bak's inauguration ceremony.

If not to wish President Lee well, at least Africans should have been there to bid Roh a thankful farewell. For a man whose presidency has revitalized Korea's diplomatic and economic engagements with Africa he deserves that.

It was unsettling not to see, hear, nor read of any attending African prime minister, president or even a foreign minister. I keep hoping that possibly some African foreign minister or prime minister showed up.

With Lee at Korea's helm the country now enters what is sure to be an exciting period in the domestic economy. President Lee is an exuberant man who personifies Korea's ambition and indomitable ``can-do-spirit.''

While he has clearly indicated policy shifts from the Roh administration it will be interesting to see how his Africa foreign policy will evolve. Although his predecessor's Africa policy was short on impact, his foray into Africa re-ignited beneficial interactions between Korea and Africa in business, development and diplomacy. Lee's Africa policy should consolidate Roh's efforts rather than reverse them.

In March 2006 Roh became the first Korean president to visit Africa in 25 years. While in Nigeria, he announced what has become the centerpiece of his African legacy _ the Korea Initiative for African Development (KIAD).

This initiative's basic pledge was to triple official development assistance (ODA) to Africa from the 2005 figures of $39.1 million to $100 million by 2008.

So far, it's unlikely that the intended development surge in Africa will be achieved. As of 2008 this targets have not been hit and it's unlikely that they will. This should be President Lee's starting point.

First, Lee should scale up financial assistance in KIAD to meet the pledges made by President Roh. This will mean some budgetary reorganization to raise the $100 million needed as well as some institutional vigilance to ensure efficiency in the disbarments and in program implementation. A rationalization of disbursing institutions will similarly need to be made.

Secondly, Korean ODA in Africa should aim for better balance between Korean strategic needs and African developmental needs. As Korea gets into Africa, it must seriously address itself to the prior failures of other development partners Africa has had.

KIAD did not embrace Africa's development needs. It merely increased the amounts for Korea's energy diplomacy. As such, most of KIAD's development assistance in fact ended up in ``rich'' resource abundant African countries like Egypt, Nigeria, Algeria and Morocco. KIAD's sub-Saharan spending in the last two years has been marginal.

A special package for energy diplomacy, separate from KIAD, would be helpful.

Thirdly, Korea should seek to establish a sectoral or development niche and expertise in its African aid. China has established the niche of its African development in infrastructure construction.

European aid has been keen on democratization. U.S. aid has focused on elimination of big diseases like AIDS and malaria. Any conventional view of Africa's compelling need as humanitarian aid is anachronistic.

Africa's present development concerns involve integration into global markets and better public governance. Agro-processing, commercialization of agriculture, aid in trade and export promotion are all sectors where Korea's expertise and financing could impact significantly.

Roh's overarching Africa policy legacy will be his creation of veritable foundations for meaningful Korea-Africa relations. One of these foundations is the now biennial Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation (KOAFEC) conference.

Starting with the KOAFEC conference coming later this year it's hoped that President Lee will consolidate Roh's Africa policy rather than reverse it. Emphasis should be on accentuating impact in poverty reduction rather than mere expansion in financing.

Elijah N. Munyi is a research associate for African economies at the Korean Institute for Development Strategy in Seoul. He is a graduate of Yonsei University's Graduate School of International Studies. He can be reached at menyaga2000@yahoo.com.