By Okon Okon
Abuja – The African Union Development Agency-New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD), has said that it would collaborate with South Korea to enhance economic growth in Nigeria.
Ms Gloria Akobundu, National Coordinator, AUDA-NEPAD, in a report entitled:“Good Governance: A Prerequisite for Development”, made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Abuja, said that the collaboration was part of efforts to actualise the agency’s mandate.
NAN reports that AUDA-NEPAD was initiated by the Heads of States of Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt, Senegal and South Africa of the then Organisation of African Unity (OAU), now AU.
The body was adopted at the 37th session of the Assembly of the Heads of States in July 2001, with the aim of providing policy framework for accelerating economic co-operation and integration to address issues of under-development.
Other goals included the eradication of poverty, placing African countries on the path of sustainable growth and development, and building the capacity of Africa to participate actively in the world economic and body politic.
The report quoted the official as saying that the goals of establishing AUDA-NEPAD would be more easily realised via a partnership with both public and private institutions.
Akobundu, in the report, said that collaboration in agro-allied industries in particular would help to process, package and export made in Nigeria goods, which could bring foreign exchange to Nigeria and expand its socio-economic development.
She explained that in the process of delivering AUDA-NEPAD’s mandates, the agency was ready to partner with public and private sectors to facilitate AUDA-NEPAD`s programmes.
“AUDA-NEPAD intends to partner with South Korea, other international Organisation to promote the implementation of its programmes and eradicate poverty through sustainable growth and development in Nigeria,” she said.
In his response, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of South Korea, Maj.-Gen. Lee Tae (Rtd), said that his country was seeking co-operation with Nigeria in the area of technology, development centres, capacity building and agro-allied industries in Nigeria.
He expressed willingness to collaborate with Nigeria through AUDA-NEPAD’s programmes in promoting indigenous products with local manufactures to create employment.
Achieving this, Lee said, would be through schools, training centres, poverty alleviation and empowerment programmes through skills acquisition and capacity building.
According to Lee, AUDA-NEPAD in Nigeria is the right agency through which South Korea can actualise these projects in Africa and Nigeria.
He said that South Korea would map out modalities and bring investors to invest and boost the economy of Nigeria.
(NAN)
