Korean Envoy Charges Nigerians to Focus on Economy

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

The Ambassador of Republic of Korea, Kim Young-Chae, has appealed to Nigerians to focus on economic development and promotion of democracy after a divisive presidential election which validity was challenged up to the Supreme Court.

He made the appeal at the occasion of the Korean National Day reception held in Abuja.

“Nigeria conducted elections early this year, and the political process is finally over. Democracy needs patience and compromise. Now we have a high expectation that Nigeria will concentrate on economic development,” Kim said.

He said Korea was among the first countries that President Bola Tinubu had summit meetings with, adding that he and Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol  had a very fruitful meeting in India on the sidelines of the G20 Summit.

He expressed hope that there will be another bilateral summit meeting in Seoul next year when Korea hosts the Korea-Africa summit.

In addition, he warned that some of the daunting global challenges facing humanity, including climate change, disruption of global supply chain, geopolitical conflicts and the emerging 4th industrial revolution cannot be effectively resolved without the active participation of Africa.

Kim said in recognition of this challenges, the Korean government was enhancing its overall relations with the African continent as many Korean companies looked at Africa as the next manufacturing base, as well as a single market.

He added that the Korean government had also decided to host a Korea-Africa Summit next year for the first time in its history that will lead to more high level exchange of visits, improved trade, investment opportunities and the deepening of a mutual understanding.

“Together with the summit meeting, the Korean government will expand its presence in Africa.

”It will increase its ODA (Official Development Assistance) budget substantially in the areas of agriculture, education, health, climate adaptation and humanitarian assistance,” Kim said.

He said as a model of economic development for many developing countries, Korea will showcase several platforms at the summit in order to share its experiences of building the manufacturing base and transforming agriculture.

The envoy stressed that with the same spirit, the Korean government was determined to implement its long-term vision to go together with Africa for peace and prosperity by hosting World Expo in Busan in 2030.