Africa’s leaders or their representatives are converging in Seoul Tuesday morning for yet another Summit by a competing world power.
The inaugural Korea-Africa Summit is running under the slogan: “The Future We Make Together: Shared Growth, Sustainability, and Solidarity.”
Yet, with so many pressing problems and challenges in Africa which require the immediate and continuous presence of African Heads of State, it is natural to pose the question: Why are African leaders going to attend this Summit in Seoul?
The answer to this is vital because there is little to gain if African leaders proceed to Seoul without a united foreign policy towards the Republic of Korea (ROK, as South Korea is known formally) and an integrated economic strategy for Africa.
To understand this, we need to preview four supplementary and interrelated questions: what is the history of Africa-ROK relations? What is the ROK’s policy on Africa? What is on the table for Africa? What are Africa’s priorities?
The Africa-ROK relations have always been skewed towards the ROK since the formation of the ROK in 1948.
Africa supported the ROK during the Korean War (1950-1953) by providing 3,984 soldiers and 119 jet fighters.
During the subsequent rivalry with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), Africa established 33 diplomatic missions in the 60s and 70s after President Park Chung-hee disregarded the Hallstein doctrine adopted by the first President Syngman Rhee.
Africa supported the ROK to attain international recognition in the '80s, to become a member of the UN and elected to a non-permanent seat of the UN Security Council in the 90s.
Lack of clarity in policy
The ROK has no clear, coherent and consistent foreign policy on Africa, and there is no policy on Africa.
This has led to low trade volumes, low investments, and little consideration for Official Development Assistance (ODA). The ODA to Africa is between 20 percent and 30 percent of the total Korean ODA. The 2022 ODA was US$ 543.3 million (25 per cent).
The purpose of this Summit appears to be self-centred, and there is little on the table for Africa.
As published on the Summit portal, Cho Tae-yul, ROK Foreign Minister who is also the Chairperson of the 2024 Korea-Africa Summit Preparatory Commission, said the ROK’s interests in Africa include seeking Africa’s support for President Yoon Suk-yeol’s goal of transiting from a middle power status to a global pivotal state (GPS).
Cho says: “Africa is a key partner for Korea in realising its foreign policy aspiration of becoming a 'Global Pivotal State'."
The second ROK’s interest in Africa is Africa’s critical minerals. Cho states that Africa “possesses abundant reserves of critical minerals essential for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”
Finally, the ROK sees an opportunity in the African Continental Free Trade Area. CHO states that “The launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) further underscores its emergence as a vast single market with a population of 1.4 billion and a combined GDP of 3.4 trillion US dollars.”
In reciprocation, Cho claims that “Korea has a unique historical experience that could offer valuable insights to African countries on their journey to prosperity.” This is not a deal, however.
What Africa should push for
The first is investments. According to the Korean Ministry of Economy and Finance, the ROK’s 2023 Outbound Foreign Direct Investment (OFDI) amounted to $ 63.38 billion. It went to the US and Canada at $ 31.32 billion, the EU at $10.66 billion, Asia ($10.66 billion) and Latin America ($9.41 billion). These four regions took 98 per cent of the OFDI. Only two per cent went to the remaining regions, including Africa. The Summit needs to set a goal of at least 20 per cent of the OFDI going to Africa. This is possible if the ROK invests in mining, processing, and refining critical minerals in Africa.
Trade is the next priority. An analysis of Korea Customs Service statistics reveals that the ROK 2023 total trade volume was $ 1,274,797,950,000. The top five trading partners were China $267,675,020,000; USA $186,968,364,000; Vietnam $79,421,317,000; Japan
$76,657,084,000; and Australia $50,614,309,000. Trade with Africa was only $23,885,876,000. The Summit needs to agree on a mechanism and tools to elevate trade between Africa and the ROK to the level of Vietnam.
These two commodities face two different challenges. One, Africa exports minerals at low prices compared to value-added processed products. According to a report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Sub-Sahara published on April 29, 2024, “Raw bauxite, for instance, fetches a modest $65 per ton, but when processed into aluminium it commands a hefty $2,335 per ton, in end-2023 prices.”
Again, the ROK has no free trade agreement (FTA) with Africa, which makes African agricultural products uncompetitive. For example, the Korean import duty for mango is 30 percent. The duty rate for countries with FTAs is as follows: Peru 0 per cent, EU 5.4 per cent, Columbia 8.5 per cent, USA 9 per cent, Australia 9 per cent, Vietnam 12 per cent, Canada 12 per cent, and India 15 per cent.
The Summit needs to formulate a formula for crafting Africa-ROK policy, aligned with Agenda 2063, to upgrade current relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership at par with the US, China, Japan, EU, EU Member States, UK, ASEAN and India. The starting point is an immediate FTA, where all agricultural products from Africa do not attract any tariffs.
Leaders must agree on reforming and expanding the Seoul Dialogue on Africa (SDA) to include African think tanks and universities. The SDA, in its current structure, does not serve the interests of Africa.
Finally, since the Korean presidency is a single five-year term, there is a need to enact a bill in the Korean National Assembly mandating the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to convene an Africa-ROK Summit at least once every five years to avoid losing track of relations every time a new administration comes on board.
If African priorities are taken into consideration and the focus of the Summit shifts from fragmented country bilateral deals to Africa-ROK, then the 2024 Korea-Africa Summit will be a game changer.
Ngovi Kitau is the first Kenyan Ambassador to South Korea and Specialist in Korean Peninsula Studies.
