Shettima Meets Korean Delegation, Speaks On Trade Promotion

The details of the meeting between Nigeria’s Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, and a Korean delegation have emerged.

Naija News reports that Shettima, on Monday, met with the delegation led by the Special Envoy to President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea, Jang Sungmin, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Speaking during the meeting, the vice president said Nigeria is committed to strengthening relations and promoting trade, technology transfer, and global peace with the Asian country.

The State House Director of Information, Office of the Vice President, Olusola Abiola, stated these in a statement made available to reporters after the closed-door meeting.

Shettima said the Bola Tinubu administration is committed to fighting insecurity and promoting economic development, stressing that the government will make it easier for Korean businesses and other foreign investors to do business in Nigeria.

“Korea has always supported us in the international fora and we have that obligation to reciprocate by supporting Korean businesses operating in Nigeria,” he assured.

The vice president also assured the South Korean government that President Bola Tinubu will visit the country on a state visit ahead of the Africa-Korea summit in 2024.

He said: “Be rest assured that Nigeria truly appreciates the Republic of Korea’s support to Nigeria in multilateral institutions, in the UN General Assembly, in our quest for a seat in the security council and in several UN bodies.

“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.

“Nigeria is 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.”

Speaking further, Shettima stressed that the government aims to create 1 million jobs for its youths and is willing to partner with South Korea in the area of technology.

He premised this on the fact that by 2030, there will be a 65 percent global talent deficit with the US, Russia, and Brazil suffering a 6 million talent deficit.

He said: “I believe Nigeria is in a unique position to fill in those talent deficits because ours is a young nation.

“75 percent 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 $120bn last year from global outsourcing and we are in a unique position to take advantage of the opportunities in the sector”

Earlier in his remarks, Sungmin congratulated Nigeria for the successful inauguration of the new government on May 29.

He also conveyed a special invitation from President Yoon to his Nigerian counterpart, Bola Tinubu, to attend the forthcoming Africa-Korea Summit in South Korea.

The delegation of the Special Envoy included the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, KIM Young-chae; the Deputy Secretary to the President for Future Policy, Mr. YOO Chang-ho, and the Deputy Director for Planning and Execution Team, Bid Committee for World EXPO 2030 BUSAN, Mr. JANG Sangwoo.

Others are Vice President, SK, Mr. Guillaume Barthe-Dejean; Chief Financial Officer, LG Electronics Nigeria Corp, Mr. KIM Inkyu, and Ms. Park Hyesong from the Korea International Development Agency.