AfDB partners South Korea to advance technology transfer in Africa

08 Feb 2019
Financial Nigeria

Summary

Akinwumi Adesina said the technological partnership would translate into capacity building in Africa through training so that Africa can industrialize.

Africa Development Bank President, Akinwumi Adesina

The African Development Bank has established a partnership with Busan Metropolitan City and the Busan Techno Park – two government agencies providing services in the port city of Busan, South Korea. The aim of the partnership is to increase technology transfers to Africa, according to a statement released on Thursday by the AfDB.

Representatives of Busan Metropolitan City and Busan Techno Park, together with AfDB officials met at the launch of the pilot project under the partnership in Tunisia – a project that entails the use of drone technology to develop agriculture, including data collection and analysis, monitoring irrigated perimeters, aquifers, the effects of climate change, land degradation, biodiversity, filling and siltation of dams, and overall agricultural production.

Busan City is considered a smart city on the cutting of artificial intelligence. The is due in part to visionary leadership and the composition of a research and development team comprising 12,000 researchers and scientists.

President of the AfDB, Akinwumi Adesina, said the technological partnership with Busan City would translate into capacity building in Africa through training, so that Africa can industrialize.

“The future is going to be an exponentially different future,” said Adesina. “And we are ready to explore a strategic partnership with Korea that could lead to the creation of a Korea-Africa research and training drone centre that could help to pave the way for the fourth industrial revolution in Africa.”

In attendance at the launch of the pilot project in Tunisia, among other Korean officials, was Hyung-Ju Kim, Director of Global Strategy Division at the Korean Green Technology Centre (GTC-K), a government-funded think-tank that coordinates and supports national green technology R&D policies in collaboration with Korea’s ministries and agencies.

“Korean expertise can provide a practical and pragmatic solution to a wide range of Africa’s most pressing technology needs,” Ju-Kim said. “The African Development Bank could play a major role here: if we bring the technology to the table, the Bank can identify and facilitate bankable projects that can boost technology cooperation between Africa and South Korea.”

The range of business options for the technological partnership extends beyond agriculture to green growth, smart urban transportation management and numerous business opportunities. The programme will be extended to other countries and regions in Africa to explore the massive market potential of industrial zones in other sectors.

Funding for the Tusian project was provided by funding from the Korea-Africa Cooperation (KOAFEC) fund. The AfDB also announced the implementation of its Knowledge Sharing Programme (KSP) under the KOAFEC. The objective of the programme is to train professionals in ICT across Africa.

This two-year Masters’ degree programme in Information Technology provides integrated courses focused on the IT technologies and Korean business strategies. It also offers opportunities for networking with Korean IT industrial companies through classes and seminars; field trips to traditional sites to experience Korean culture and history; and on-site workshops at IT companies.


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