Africa a continent of opportunities, but Korea needs better strategy

Seoul should use the inaugural Korea-Africa summit to develop a comprehensive foreign policy toward Africa and seize the continent's opportunities.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, first lady Kim Keon Hee and leaders of African countries watch a cultural performance during the welcome banquet for the Korea-Africa summit at the Shilla Hotel in Jung District, central Seoul, on Monday. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

Seoul should use the inaugural Korea-Africa summit to develop a comprehensive foreign policy toward Africa and seize the continent's opportunities.

The Korean government has prioritized stepping up its diplomatic relations and cooperation with African nations because of Africa's position on the international stage, its abundant natural resources and the advantages the continent holds due to its demographic structure.

The first-ever Korea-Africa summit officially kicked off Tuesday at Kintex in Goyang, Gyeonggi, with delegations from 48 African countries in attendance. Security levels have been upgraded for the summit, a welcome banquet was held Monday evening and President Yoon Suk Yeol had back-to-back meetings with various African leaders before the official opening of the summit.

As scholars and policymakers alike have reiterated the importance of the African continent over the years, South Korea established diplomatic relations with all 54 African countries between 1961 and 2011, building relationships in various fields such as education, investment and official development assistance (ODA). Since 2000, 691 South Korean corporations have been established across the African continent with $5.8 billion invested, according to the Korea International Trade Association (KITA).

The 54 African countries make up 27 percent of the UN member states. They often vote in blocs, positioning them in a key role in the General Assembly when resolutions are put to a vote.

“More than 70 percent of the issues brought up at the UN General Assembly are Africa-related issues, especially concerning security,” said Kim Dong-suk, a professor at the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “They are trying to raise their voices on the international stage by coming together to address issues such as conflicts on the continent, underdevelopment and climate change. The African Union and regional organizations are also trying to resolve their own issues, but African countries are speaking out more on the international stage.”

African leaders have also been pushing to reform the UN Security Council's veto system, as exemplified by President Macky Sall of Senegal, the chair of the African Union at the time, urging reform at the 77th General Assembly opening session in 2022.

According to the UN Environment Programme, the African continent is rich in natural resources. It contains 40 percent of the world’s gold and up to 90 percent of Earth’s chromium and platinum.

The African continent also holds 65 percent of the world’s arable land and 10 percent of our planet’s internal renewable fresh water. Diplomatic outreach is crucial to obtain such critical resources, as well as for trade and investment.

Africa’s demographic structure, where the median age for the continent is 14 to 18 years younger than other regions, will lead to a middle class that is anticipated to reach 1.1 billion by 2060, according to research by consulting company McKinsey.

The continent will add 796 million people to the global workforce and will house the youngest population by 2050 — a projection that is in stark contrast to Korea, where the staggeringly low birthrate is expected to lead to a workforce shortage and a society-wide crisis in the near future.

While these attributes of the African continent as a whole clearly show that cooperation with African nations will be not just important but crucial to all nations on the global stage, working together with African nations is especially paramount for South Korea since it aims to act as a “global pivotal state” and confront North Korea’s escalating missile tests and threats as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

South Korea is currently serving a two-year term as a non-permanent member of the Security Council alongside two other African nations, Algeria and Sierra Leone.

“We need to communicate more closely with Algeria and Sierra Leone, the two fellow non-permanent members of the Security Council, for more active engagement,” said Kim. “With Algeria, we have established a strategic partnership in 2006, and with both countries, we need to gradually increase exchanges on the governmental and people-to-people levels. Another thing is that it would be important to present an agenda at the UN level with African countries on issues such as refugees, conflict resolution and climate change.”

Experts say it is essential to focus on a specific agenda on which South Korea and its African partners can cooperate.

“There are many agendas for cooperation between South Korea and African countries — until now, development cooperation, trade and investment have been important in Korea-Africa relations, but recently, African countries have been trying to improve governance, and there is a lot we can do together on that,” said Kim. “Strengthening communication with African countries, understanding their needs, and identifying what agenda African countries would like to cooperate with South Korea on is crucial.”

The Korea-Africa summit this time around can be just the platform from which leaders and policymakers can get to know one another, and actors involved can build a sense of solidarity, argued Kim. South Korea is also keen to share its development experience with African countries, and this summit can provide a forum through which that experience can be dispensed.

Engaging with African countries properly is also essential, keeping in mind that while the group of countries may share perspectives, they can also differ in their specific interests.

“The pitfall people get in when engaging with Africa is facing the fact that it is a continent of 54 countries, and although they sometimes speak with a united voice, all of these African countries have their own interests,” said Cho Joon-hwa, a research fellow at Seoul National University’s Asia-Africa Center. “While it is important to draw out agendas that all African countries can be interested in, it is also pertinent to specifically address engagement with each country.”

Regularizing the Korea-Africa summit and developing a comprehensive long-term foreign policy regarding the African continent are necessary, argued Cho.

“Our foreign policy on Africa has been very fragmented and reactionary so far,” said Cho. “If you look at the summit that is taking place right now, each government sector or ministry has different events and engagements with the visiting leaders. South Korea, as of now, doesn’t have a clear vision for why we are engaging with Africa. We need a much more thorough, overarching and long-term policy strategy.”

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]