Africa is emerging as a new partner for cooperation in the 21th century. During the 20th century, Africa has been perceived as a "crisis continent" with no potential of development. But recently, as a result of new changes, is becoming a market with opportunities The basis of these changes is the economical and political development that have occurred in Africa as well as its strategic value as a resource development market. There is sufficient evidence to believe that if Africa achieves political stability, it will become a new global growth engine. There are both optimistic and pessimistic views toward the future of African development, but the optimistic view recently have recently begun to prevail.
Attention is being given to Africa’s potential value asthe final remaining niche market in the world. Africa not only has economical values in such areas as resource procurement but can also be a partner for strategic cooperation in the international arena. Africa’s 53 nations represent 28% of the states comprising the UN General Assembly, and thus it could be said that close economic cooperation with African nations would have a direct impact on South Korea’s diplomatic competence. Africa’s importance as a strategic partner is recently increasing as African nations, through the African Union, are letting themselves be heardon international problems with a concerted voice. Nevertheless, emphasizing solely on South Korea’s economical benefits from cooperation would only bring temporary effects. What is needed is a mutually beneficial and future-oriented partnership founded on the basis of mutual understanding. As South Korea possesses both experience in overcoming poverty and development know-how, it could assist in developing Africa’s potential capabilities and increasing the ability of African countries to help themselves. Many African nations are actually learning from South Korea’s development history, which overcame experiences of colonization and war, and finally succeeding as a result of rapid growth and African countries are eager to benchmark South Korea’s policies.
Increasing cooperation with everyAfrican nation is unrealistic considering South Korea’s present capability in economic and development cooperation would be too limited; meaning selection and concentration is inevitable. From this perspective, this research identifies 4 countries deemed as requiring preferential attention: Ghana, Congo, South Africa and Ethiopia, who are also deemed major cooperation partner nations. There is a high chance of cooperation with Ghana, the nation with the highest potential for development in West Africa, as it has much interest in South Korea’s development experience. The mineral-rich Congo is also a possible cooperation partner in resource development and infrastructure construction, givenits recent concentration on national development. South Africa is strategically valuable as it is a resource-rich nation as well as the largest market in Africa. Although Ethiopia is the poorest nation in Africa, it is socially and politically stable and it also has a historical relationship with South Korea as an ally during the Korean War.
A summary of the promising fields or plans for cooperation with these major cooperation partner nations are as follows. First, comprehensive agricultural cooperation, construction plants and an establishment of an e-government are key fields for cooperation with Ghana. Ghana has a high potential in agricultural development as it possesses extensive arable land and a great reservoir in the form of Lake Volta. There is a need to utilize development aid funds for measures which include agricultural infrastructure support such as the expansion of irrigation facilities and the establishment of a training center for processing ofagricultural products. From a more long-term aspect, promoting and developing it into an MCI should receive serious consideration. This would lay the groundwork for entry of domestic agricultural businesses into Africa. On the other hand, the Ghanaian government is investing a majority of its budget in infrastructure expansion, which offers great opportunities for participation in construction projects. Also, by participating in Ghana’s national informatization projects, cooperation in high-value fields, e.g. e-government establishment, high-speed communications network construction and establishment of IT master plans, is also feasible.
Second, resource development in connectionwith SOC construction, infrastructure construction, establishmentof infrastructure for hydroelectric power generation or power distribution, and guidance in implementation of the Saemaeul movement are candidate fields for cooperation presented for Congo. As Congo is presently focusing on SOC construction, of which South Korea possesses comparative advantage, there is a need to implement plans which links SOC construction and resource development together. It would be appropriate to tie resource development with SOC construction because with a national budget scale of just4 billion dollars, Congo has difficulty in paying SOC construction costs. Yet, as has been experienced in the past, the matter depends on the prior organization of risk bearing and gain sharing arrangements between the participating entities. Cooperative guidance for the implementation of the Saemaeul movement in agricultural regions is also required. Since Congo shows much interest in the Saemaeul movement, it would be wise to make Congo the role model for implementation guidance of the Saemaeul movement in Africa. It is crucial that the guidance provided by South Korea be applied in a manner which takes into account the circumstances specific tothe partner rather than a simple one-sided guidance based on past experiences of South Korea.
Third, resource development, nuclear cooperation and bio-energy development through cooperation with advanced economies and FTA negotiations are fields for cooperation to be presented for South Africa. Considering the inter-African status of South Africa, an FTA with South Africa would lead to a cooperation mechanism which shall promote South Korea’s relationship with Africa. As South Africa is a member of a customs union, the SACU, approaching SACU is also required separately from bilateral negotiations. For resource development, entering Africa in concert with a major western major nationis recommended. In South Africa, the entry barriers for resource development are high because most of the market is dominated by major European nations. Thus, co-entry with major European nations would eliminate the challenges posed by market monopoly and also disperse theaccompanied risk forthese fields. There are also cooperation opportunities in the fields of new and renewable energies such as nuclear and bio-energy. Currently, South Africa is suffering from lack of power and is focusing on the development of new and renewable energies in search for alternatives. South Korea’s experience and know-how in the construction and management of nuclear power plants presents wide opportunities in the South African nuclear market. It is important to impress South Korea’s nuclear technology and world class management capabilities upon the South African government through human resources exchange.
Fourth, small-scale hydroelectric power generation, public health and education development support, agricultural development support and supply of drinking water are fields for cooperation presented for Ethiopia. Although Ethiopia has poor power conditions, it possesses great potential in the field of hydroelectric power generation. South Korea should consider providing support in the construction of small-scale hydroelectric power plants. Small-scale hydroelectric power plants (below 10MW) are independent means of power supply which have a low cost and have the advantage of being able to supply power to small urban or agricultural regions which are located far from power transmission networks. Expansion in support for public health and education is also required. Ethiopia has one of the poorest public health conditions in Africa, as 68% of its population is exposed to malaria in regions where the disease is endemic. Supplying drinking water is also acute as waterborne diseases frequently cause the death of Ethiopian children who drink polluted water. South Korea possesses comparative advantages in drinking water development projects incorporating well-digging, and should further expand these projects to more areas. Educational support is also required as the literacy rate in Ethiopia is 36%, which is far short of the average for Sub-Saharan Africa nations (68%).