BREAKING: South Korea to invest in Nigeria’s human capital, scholarship programmes

The Country Director of Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA),Mr. Son Sungil has said that the South Korean government is committed to investing in the human resource development of the Nigerian Civil Service.

Mr. Son Sungil stated this at the 2022 South Korea International Cooperation Association of Nigeria (SKICAN) Annual Gathering held in Abuja.

In a statement made available to journalists yesterday, he explained that the Annual Gathering, which is a gathering of Nigerian Civil Servants who have been trained through the KOICA Fellowship Program (CIAT), including capacity building and scholarship programs.

In his remarks, President of SKICAN, Mr. Rabiu Adamu appreciated KOICA for its support and continuous investment in Nigeria’s human capital, as the number of masters’ scholarship beneficiaries increased from 15 to 29 in the year 2022.

According to the statement, “Nigeria is one of Korea’s important partner countries, hence investing in its human capital development by sharing Korea’s development experience remains a priority to the Korean Government, especially as the rapid development of Korea is mostly referred to as “The Miracle of Han River” was mostly tied to the significant development of Korea’s human resources.

The KOICA Country Director also appreciated the SKICAN Team for joining in the campaign for Busan, South Korea, to host the World Expo 2030, a global gathering of nations dedicated to offering ground-breaking solutions to contemporary problems like health and climate change.

The 2030 Busan World Expo is themed “Transforming Our World, Navigating Toward a Better Future,” and Korea is prepared to also use the World EXPO 2030 Busan as a platform to both strengthen current aid platforms for developing countries and demonstrate to other nations its unprecedented journey from an aid recipient to a donor country in less than half a century.

The Director General of NIMC represented by Dr. Umaru M. Ba presented a goodwill message stating that the Commission has from KOICA’s training programs both within and outside of the country. He further stated that KOICA has collaborated with NIMC in several activities including the e-Government master plan development, e-Government capacity building, National Identification Number Enrollment Support, and other human capital development objectives. He further stated that the partnership between NIMC and KOICA has been wonderful, and he looks forward to future collaborations.

The event featured an elegant display of Korean culture through literature, traditional attires (male and female Hanboks), and K-Pop song and dance by Nigerians who have mastered the art of K-Pop Culture. The event was also graced with the performance of the Korean Traditional Musical Team from South Korea, Oneul, and the Quartet team from Nigeria.