{"id":40311,"date":"2026-09-12T10:37:08","date_gmt":"2026-09-12T06:37:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gbc1.net\/?p=40311"},"modified":"2026-09-12T14:58:51","modified_gmt":"2026-09-12T10:58:51","slug":"south-korea-and-africa-draft-blueprint-for-digital-partnerships-at-8th-koafec-ministerial-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gbc1.net\/index.php\/2026\/09\/12\/south-korea-and-africa-draft-blueprint-for-digital-partnerships-at-8th-koafec-ministerial-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"South Korea and Africa Draft Blueprint for Digital Partnerships at 8th KOAFEC Ministerial 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

South Korea convened the 8th Korea – Africa Economic Cooperation (KOAFEC) Ministerial Conference at the Grand Walherhil Hotel in Seoul from 8 to 11 September 2026. The theme for this Ministerial was \u2019Harnessing AI and Digital Infrastructure for Africa’s Transformation<\/em>.’ The event was jointly organized by South Korea’s Ministry of Finance and Economy, South Korea’s Export-Import Bank (SKEXIM<\/a>), and the African Development Bank (AfDB). The 8th Ministerial in 2026 marked 20 years of South Korea – Africa partnership and saw the attendance of ministers, public officials and private business leaders from 40 African nations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his welcome address, South Korea’s Prime Minister HAN Seong-sook underlined that all countries and people should be able to benefit from opportunities presented by Artificial Intelligence (#AI<\/a>). AfDB President Sidi Tah underscored that AI has the potential to reshape the global economy, and Africa has the unique opportunity to leapfrog traditional development pathways.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Family
Family Photo at 8th KOAFEC Ministerial 2026<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

In that regard, South Korea presented the K-AI package, its flagship program for advancing the Korea – Africa partnership to seize digital opportunities. The Package is not just about providing financing or software, but also bundles physical infrastructure, data capabilities and green energy into a unified framework. South Korea is willing to partner with African countries to develop AI software and build AI data centers, preferably powered by renewable energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the Ministerial, the South Korean Export-Import Bank and the African Development Bank signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to join hands in order to make more financial resources available. The MoU also calles for the joint creation of the Korea – Africa AI Hub, which will act as the Central Coordinating Platform for the program.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"SKEXIM
SKEXIM and AfDB Sign MoU to Finance Digitalization in Africa <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

In terms of sectors that could benefit from digitalization, the Ministerial identified seven sectors for possible cooperation: (1) Water Resources, (2) Healthcare, (3) Agriculture, (4) Energy, (5) Transportation, (6) Education, and (7) Culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first pilot project is the setting up of an AI and Digital Training Center in Tanzania. The Center is financed by a USD 170 million concessional loan from South Korea’s Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF), administered by South Korea’s Export-Import Bank (SKEXIM). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Center will house laboratories to train Tanzanians, especially the youth, for hands-on training in AI, robotics, data analytics, and the Internet of Things (IoT). In the margins of the Ministerial, Tanzania’s Finance Minister negotiated a separate USD 2.5 billion financing package from SKEXIM to upgrade infrastructure, manufacturing and healthcare.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Tanzanian
Tanzanian Delegation at 8th KOAFEC Ministerial 2026<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Burundi already has a World Bank-funded Digital Economy Foundations Project and sought ways to align it digitalization drive with South Korea’s K-AI model to create more impact. In particular, Burundi is keen to secure more financing to build AI Data Centers powered by solar energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the Botswana Economic Transformation Program (BETP), Botswana is particularly interested in applying predictive AI to optimize its supply chain for #CriticalMinerals<\/a>. Similarly, Mozambique would like to leverage drone technology in agriculture to enhance its #FoodSecurity<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

South Korea convened the 8th Korea – Africa Economic Cooperation (KOAFEC) Ministerial Conference at the Grand Walherhil Hotel in Seoul<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40315,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":0,"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[75,147,54],"yoast_head":"\nSouth Korea and Africa Draft Blueprint for Digital Partnerships 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