6th Seoul Dialogue on Africa to Promote Peace and Prosperity
On 6th December 2023, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea and the Korea-Africa Foundation jointly organized the 6th Seoul Dialogue on Africa (#SDA2023) under the theme of “Korea-Africa Partnership for Sustainable Peace and Prosperity” in the South Korean capital.
Several African countries were represented at the ambassadorial level. Thus, Gabon Ambassador Carlos Victor BOUNGOU, Algeria Ambassador Mohammed BENSABRI, Sudan Ambassador Amira AGARIB, Zambia Ambassador Andrew Bwezani BANDA, Tunisia Ambassador Kais DARRAGI, Sierra Leone Ambassador Kathos Jibao MATTAI, Morocco Ambassador Chafik RACHADI, Ghana Ambassador Charis Margaretha E. OBETSEBI-LAMPTEY ZWENNES, and Congo Ambassador Christian ATOKI ILEKA were in attendance. Marie-Laure AKIN-OLUGBAD, VP for Regional Development, Integration and Business, represented the African Development Bank (AfDB) at the Dialogue.
Mauritius distinguished itself by being represented by its Foreign Minister Maneesh Gobin who delivered the keynote speech during the opening ceremony. The South Korean side was represented by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, CHUNG Byung-won and National Assembly Members HOON Sul and LEE Myung-soo. The President of the Korean-Africa Foundation (KAF), LYEO Woon-ki, also attended the proceedings.
In the welcome address, Korean Deputy Minister Chung highlighted that South Korea is willing to share its economic development in order to promote peace and prosperity in Africa as per Korea’s diplomatic vision to become a ‘Global Pivotal State’.
During his keynote speech, Mauritian Minister Gobin commended and called for the reinforcement of cooperation mechanisms such as the Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation (#KOAFEC) Ministerial Conference. He also urged Korean businesses to seize the incredible opportunities presented by the sizeable single African market enabled by the #AfCFTA. He appreciated the parallels and saw potential synergies between the role of South Korea as the ‘Global Pivotal State’ and that of Mauritius as the ‘Gateway to Africa’.
Africa sees South Korea as a technological giant with global brands such as Samsung and LG. On the other hand, South Korea recognizes that Africa is a key partner for solving common problems of mankind and for future development, be it in the area of #ClimateChange or #FoodSecurity.
The Dialogue is a warm-up to the Korea-Africa Summit 2024 which is scheduled to take place from 4 to 5 June 2024 when political and business leaders from 54 Africans are expected to converge to Seoul to take part in the Summit.