FG Committed to Promoting Trade and Technology Transfer with Korea- Shettima

Kashim Shettima, Nigeria’s Vice President has communicated the federal government’s move to strengthen the bonds with Korea in technology transfer, promoting trade and global peace. He stated this on Monday when a representative from the Republic of Korea led by the special envoy to the president, H. E Jang Sungmin visited the Presidential Villa.

Shettima on Deepening Ties with Korea

Shettima has recapitulated Nigeria’s commitment to deepening ties and enhancing relations with the Republic of Korea. During the meeting with the delegates, he laid emphasis on the strong bilateral relationship between the two countries stating their presence in the oil and gas sector.

“Nigeria and Korea have a very robust bilateral relationship that is anchored on years of mutual trust and cooperation. A lot of Korean companies are doing business in Nigeria, especially in the area of oil and gas. Six of our LNG trains were constructed by Korean companies.”

“We are fully committed to a very robust relationship between our nations. We need to learn a lot from Korea, especially in the areas of manufacturing and agriculture. You are a success story worthy of emulation by all developing nations.”

The Korea Success Story

The Vice President concedes the impressive growth and development of the Republic of Korea stating that they are an inspiration to developing nations over the world. Shettima showed interest in learning from Korea and he recapitulated that the federal government has plans to create a million jobs for young Nigerians in the digital sector. In the cause of the meeting, he solicited the support of the Korean government in training and equipping young Nigerians with digital skills so the plans for digital job creation can be brought to fruition.

“We are willing to partner with you in the area of technology because, by 2030, there will be a 65% global talent deficit with the US, Russia, and Brazil suffering a 6 million talent deficit. I believe Nigeria is in a unique position to fill in those talent deficits because ours is a young nation.

“75% of Nigerians are below the age of 35, so we are soliciting your partnership and support in digital skills training for our young people. We want to create 1 million jobs in the digital world. India earned $120B last year from global outsourcing and we are in a unique position to take advantage of the opportunities in the sector. We need the skills set, we need the technology to drive the process and yours is a technology that we can embrace.”

Promoting Trade and Economic Cooperation

The Vice President has assured the Korean government that the President is committed to addressing the negative balance of trade and strengthening the relations between the two countries. He also added that the focus of Tinubu led-administration is security and economic development. The Korean government has been promised that this new administration would make it easy for them to run their businesses in Nigeria. Shettima acknowledged Korea’s support and promised that their businesses would be supported in return.

The special Envoy of the president of the Republic of Korea congratulated the Nigerian government on the successful inauguration held on May 29th and also passed the invitation from the Korean President inviting President Tinubu to the forthcoming Africa-Korea Summit to be held in South Korea. Shettima in turn appreciated the gesture and assured them of Bola Tinubu’s presence at the upcoming Summit.

 The special envoy included Ambassador Kim Young-Chae, Korea’s Ambassador to Nigeria; Mr. YOO Chang-ho, Deputy Secretary to the President for Future Policy; Mr. Jang Sangwoo, Deputy Director for Planning and Execution Team; Mr. Guillaume Barthe-Dejean, Mr. KIM Inkyu, Ms. Park Hyesong, Korea International Development Agency reiterated their support for the Nigerian government across the various sectors.