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South Korea, Africa leaders pledge much deeper ties, important mineral development

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and the leaders of African countries settled on Tuesday to forge deeper trade and business cooperation and launched a crucial minerals discussion targeted at sustainable development of the continent's resources.

Hosting a first-ever top with the leaders of 48 African countries, Yoon said South Korea would increase development aid for Africa to $10 billion over the next six years as it aims to tap the continent's abundant mineral resources and prospective as a. huge export market.

The Important Minerals Dialogue released by South Korea and. Africa will set an example for a stable supply chain through. mutually useful cooperation and contribute to sustainable. advancement of mineral resources worldwide, Yoon stated in. his closing remarks.

He likewise promised to provide $14 billion in export funding to. promote trade and financial investment for South Korean companies in. Africa.

South Korea is one of the world's biggest energy buyers and. is home to leading semiconductor manufacturers. It is also home to. the world's fifth-largest automaker, Hyundai Motor Group, which. is making a push for electrification.

Partnering with Africa, which has 30% of the world's. reserves of crucial minerals including chrome, cobalt and. manganese is vital, Yoon's office has said.

In a joint statement issued by South Korea, the African. Union (AU) and its member countries, the leaders pledged to speed. up talks for financial partnership contracts and trade and. investment promo structures.

They likewise called for advancing cooperation for Africa's food. security with South Korea's assistance with agricultural technology. and clever farming.

African leaders welcomed South Korea's Tech4Africa. initiative targeted at supporting the education and training of. Africa's young population.

AU chair and Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani,. at a joint news conference with Yoon, said African countries. were aiming to gain from Korea's experience in developing. human resources, industrialisation and digital transformation.

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Yoon said 33 presidents participated in the top.

Yoon has actually proposed shared development as a pillar of cooperation. with the continent and said the leaders accepted expand trade. and financial investment by establishing institutional structures to. facilitate them.

By reaching out with deals to assist with industrial. facilities and digital improvement, South Korea is attempting. to tap into a vast and fast-growing market that is home to 1.4. billion people, most of whom are 25 or younger.

The joint statement stated the leaders identified the. instability of international supply chains, and that future markets. progressively depended on the stable supply of mineral resources.

In this context, we consent to introduce the Korea-Africa. Critical Minerals Dialogue throughout this top which will serve. as an important institutional structure for boosting. cooperation between Korea and Africa, it stated.

Park Jong-dae, a previous South Korean ambassador to South. Africa and Uganda, argued Western and Chinese models of. advancement had actually stopped working African nations, and South Korea used. a valuable alternative path.

The essence of the Korean design of advancement cooperation. is human development, and about management, instead of about. provision of assistance per se, he said.

Korea has the experience and know-how of advancement ... while numerous African countries have tremendous possibilities for. advancement based upon yet to be checked out, untapped resources and. endowment, and dynamic young population, he stated.

On Wednesday, South Korean business leaders will host a. service top focused on investment, industrial development. and food security.

Yoon separately held talks with 25 leaders on the sidelines. of the summit, his workplace stated.

Yoon agreed with the leaders of Tanzania to provide $2.5. billion concessional loans and Ethiopia for $1 billion funding. to go to facilities, science and technology and health and. urban development.

Kenyan President William Ruto stated South Korea would offer. $ 485 million concessional advancement funding.

(source: Reuters)