- Supply chains changed drastically in 4-5 years – SK Vice President
From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The President of the Republic of Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, has said that Nigeria is the gateway to Africa as far as the continent’s economy is concerned.
Yeol stated this through his Special Envoy to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Jang Sungmin, in Abuja.
Briefing journalists, Sungmin said President Yoon Suk Yeol who came to power last year has a special place in his heart for Africa.
Sungmin, who spoke through an interpreter and Deputy Secretary to the President of the Republic of Korea for Future Policy, Yoo Chang-ho, also said the South Korean President has announced policies to expand cooperation with Africa.
He stated that only a month ago, Yeol sent a special envoy delegation to the inauguration of President Tinubu.
“But within a span of few weeks, he has sent me, the Senior Secretary in the Office of the President again as a Special envoy to visit Nigeria to emphasise the willingness and commitment of the Korean Government to cooperate, especially in the area of the economy, to cooperate with Nigeria because Nigeria is the gateway to Africa,” Sungmin said.
Sungmin further said the composition of his delegation which included the Vice President, SK, Mr Guillaume Barthe-Dejean; the Chief Financial Officer, LG Electronics Nigeria Corp, Mr Kim Inkyu; Korea International Development Agency, Ms Park Hyesong, showed President Yoon Suk Yeol’s commitment and willingness to find better ways to cooperate with Nigeria.
“President Yoon Suk Yeol has sent me as his Special Envoy to this great nation because this great nation is the leader of Africa; it has the biggest market in Africa; it has the largest population in Africa; it has the biggest natural resources in Africa and the largest arable land – all the criteria for economic power in Africa,” Sungmin added.
Sungmin also said Korea is a country that has all the technologies and development know-how and economic prosperity to lead the fourth industrial revolution.
“Korea is already leading that industrial revolution and so, President Yoon feels that by combining forces, by finding avenues to cooperate further economically, Korea and Nigeria’s cooperation will lead to the prosperity for Nigeria and probably, a much faster economic development for Nigeria than Korea had experienced, but also, it will enhance further prosperity for Africa as well,” Sungmin stated.
Also speaking, the Vice President, SK, Mr Guillaume Barthe-Dejean, said the world, over the last four to five years, has changed drastically.
“I think what we have seen is the vast disruption of supply chains globally and I think for this reason, Korean companies will be increasingly interested in partnering with countries in Africa to stabilise the supply chains and make sure that they are more resilient and this will take the form of off-take agreements or investments or greater collaboration and partnership with countries in Africa and we very much hope this will be the case for Nigeria too,” Barthe-Dejean said.