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| Korea-Africa Foundation President Choi Yeon-ho speaks with The Korea Times at the foundation office in southern Seoul, Jan. 26. A former Korean ambassador to South Africa, Choi is the inaugural president of the foundation operating under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His single three-year term ends in February. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |
By Yi Whan-woo
For the last three years after its establishment, the Korea-Africa Foundation has been keeping up with the government's efforts to expand presence in Africa, where "the new scramble" as described by The Economist has been witnessed.
The term refers to the third wave of foreign interest in Africa after European colonial rule and the Cold War.
In the post-COVID-19 era, Korea does not want to miss out. The role of the foundation ― operating under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ― is becoming more vital than ever in raising public and business interests toward Africa, according to Korea-Africa Foundation President Choi Yeon-ho.
"When the pandemic ends and the global economy starts to recover, it will bring an opportunity for us to create momentum on Africa ties," Choi told The Korea Times in an interview at his office in southern Seoul, Jan. 26. "The coronavirus, after all, will not diminish Korea-Africa relations but rather strengthen them."
Choi explained African countries in general have been trying to offset their lack of road, rail, landline internet and other conventional means of communication and infrastructure by nurturing fintech, e-commerce, wireless technology, virtual conferences, drones and other industries that do not necessarily require people-to-people contact.
Their strategy corresponds to emerging non-contact businesses as well as the Fourth Industrial Revolution and is making the region an attractive investment destination for tech-savvy countries like Korea, Choi said.
The high-tech-friendly atmosphere adds to Africa's other advantages, including rich natural resources, abundant labor force with 70 percent of the 1.3 billion population being aged 30 or younger and a growing middle class estimated to be up to 600 million.
On Jan. 1, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement was implemented.
AfCFTA is a blueprint for an integrated continental economic bloc under the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063, which has a goal of building a self-reliant, well-educated and technology-driven society. The agenda seeks to transform the continent into a global powerhouse by 2063.
AfCFTA will benefit foreign companies operating in Africa by removing tariffs and other barriers and helping expand intra-continental trade of goods, services, investment, intellectual property rights and competition policy, among others.
Under the circumstance, not only major powers including the Western European countries, the United States and China but also developing countries such as India, Malaysia and Vietnam are eyeing the African market in the post-COVID-19 era, according to Choi.
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| Korea-Africa Foundation President Choi Yeon-ho speaks with The Korea Times at the foundation office in southern Seoul, Jan. 26. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |
Africa as blue ocean, New Southern Policy plus alpha
"You can see how Africa can be a blue ocean and that it is important for us to perceive Africa as a business partner, not merely a group of aid-receiving countries," he said. "In that regard, I have been honored to work with the foundation and promote an emerging Africa through multiple programs."
A retired career diplomat and former Korean ambassador to South Africa, Choi has been serving as the foundation's inaugural president for a single three-year term, which will end on Feb. 22.
The foundation currently runs 19 projects mainly under the themes of business cooperation, mutual understanding and awareness-raising and youth exchanges
Being carried out in collaboration with relevant parties, the 19 includes Africa Week ― a series of film festivals, cultural exhibitions and performances in celebration of May 25 Africa Day ― seminars and forums on business environment in Africa, idea contest and other exchanges between startups, fairs for small- and medium-sized enterprises, youth camps, forums of African students studying in Korea, and Seoul Africa Dialogue which is a 1.5 track conference to the government's ministerial level Korea-Africa Forum (KOAF).
With support of the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Assembly, the foundation has increased the annual budget by 2.5 times since its inauguration.
All these efforts were in accordance with high-level visits to Africa, as seen from then-Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon's two 2018 trips ― Kenya and Tanzania in July followed by Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia in December ― plus Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha's July 2019 visit to Ethiopia, Ghana and South Africa.
In particular, Lee was the first Korean prime minister to visit Algeria and Tunisia, while Kang was the first Korean foreign minister to travel to three different part of Africa ― Ethiopia in the east, Ghana in the west and South Africa in the south ― in a single trip.
The foreign ministry, after having a single Africa division for years, set up additional one in 2020, to forge closer relations with the region.
Also in 2020, the foreign ministry, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) and other government-affiliated institutions jointly contributed to medical support worth $160 million to 53 of the 55 AU member states.
"All these collective efforts are helping the people here re-consider their perspective toward Africa for a cooperative future," Choi said, referring to a latest survey conducted by pollster Embrain Public upon request of the foundation.
A nationwide survey of 1,000 adults showed 68 percent of the respondents were in fond of, interested in or affectionate toward Africa. About two-thirds of the survey takers also answered they are open to having Africans as friends, co-workers, spouses or spouses of their children.
"This gives hope that Africa could possibly be the 'alpha' for what I would call the 'New Southern Policy plus alpha' in Korea's diplomatic diversification efforts," Choi said.
Announced in 2017, the New Southern Policy is President Moon Jae-in's signature diplomatic initiative to bolster ties with 10 Southeast Asian countries and others in southern regions such as India and expand room for the country's diplomatic maneuvering.
Korean immigration to Africa now has been going on for almost half a century, with the children of first-generation immigrants being well-educated, according to Choi. They, along with African students in Korea, can be a bridge to connect the two sides, he noted.
Regarding Korea's strength as a latecomer to the continent ― as seen from Africa accounting for less than 2 percent of Korea's international trade volume ― Choi noted that Korea's position as the world's only aid recipient-turned-donor can appeal to the African countries.
It is also important to establish manufacturing plants and other bases of production to benefit from the AfCFTA and come up with customized, localization strategies, he explained.
Considering the size of the continent and its diversity, the newcomers will be needed to be selective in choosing their business destinations, he said.
Choi said joint ventures with companies from the European Union or other major players can be an option for the Korean enterprises, under the condition that the envisioned businesses are new to them and that they need partners.
