Senior Local Government Officials from Africa, are Reinforcing their Administrative Capacity in Korea

Mayor Dighambong Anthony, Wum Council, one of the participants from Cameroon

 Some 20 participants drawn from four African countries, namely, Cameroon, DR Congo, Ivory Coast and Senegal. The capacity Building program that is organised by the Korean International Cooperation Agency, KOICA, aims at  providing a vision and strategy for the development of participating countries by sharing Korea’s experience in local governance, economic development, regional development, Human Resource Development, etc. It also aims at Assisting African countries in the capacity building of local government officials, through a customized training program that satisfies the specific training needs of the program participants, and finally, the training program aims at  promoting a better understanding and increase friendly relations between Korea and participating countries.

Mayor Dighambong Anthony, Wum Council

The Korea International Cooperation Agency KOICA, was established in 1991 by the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade as a governmental organization for Official Development Assistance (ODA) to enhance the effectiveness of South Korea's grant aid programs for developing countries by implementing the government's grant aid and technical cooperation programs.

Mission

The Korea International Cooperation Agency was founded as a government agency on April 1, 1991, to maximize the effectiveness of South Korea's grant aid programs for developing countries by implementing the government's grant aid and technical cooperation programs. In the past, development cooperation efforts were focused mainly on meeting the basic human needs (BHNs) of developing countries and on fostering their Human Resource Development(HRD). However, the focus has now broadened to promoting sustainable development, strengthening partnerships with developing partners, and enhancing the local ownership of beneficiaries. Additionally, global concerns such as the environment, poverty reduction, and gender mainstreaming, have gained significant importance in the international community.
Due to the continuously changing trends in development assistance efforts and practices, KOICA is striving to adapt to these changes by using its limited financial resources effectively in areas where Korea has a comparative advantage. In particular, Korea has the unique experience of developing from one of the poorest countries in the world to one of the most economically advanced, as recently demonstrated by South Korea's entry into the OECD DAC (Development Assistance Committee) on November 25, 2009. The know-how and experience Korea gained from this transition are invaluable assets that allow KOICA to efficiently support the sustainable socio-economic development of its partner countries and to offer them hope for a better world.