Korean Ambassador Commends Minister Pantami, As FG, KOICA Seal $13M Agreement to Foster Digital Governance in Nigeria

The South Korean Ambassador to Nigeria, His Excellency, Kim Young – Chae has commended the supervisory leadership of the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), PhD over Nigeria’s ICT sector. In the last 2-years, the ICT sector has consecutively been the fastest-growing sector in Nigeria.
The Korean Ambassador made this known today while making his opening remarks during the Signing Ceremony of Cooperation between the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy and the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) for building a foundation towards Digital Governance in Nigeria (2020 – 2026 / $13M). The brief ceremony was held in the South Korean Embassy, Abuja.
Amb Kim Young – Chae further urged Minister Pantami to maintain the tempo in ensuring ICT contributes more to National Development in Nigeria. The Ambassador informed that the Korea Government is willing to share its experience and expertise with the Nigerian Government.
Responding, the Nigerian Minister, Dr Pantami appreciated (KOICA) for the kind gesture. “The Republic of Korea through KOICA is the number 1 country supporting Nigeria in the area of eGovernance”, Pantami said. Adding that “The support Nigeria has received from the Republic of Korea cannot be matched by any other Nation.
Minister Pantami informed that over 1000 civil servants from Nigeria have been trained on eGovernance in the world-class eGovernment training centre located in Abuja which was built and donated to the Nigerian government by the Korea Republic as part of Phase 1 of the e-Governance cooperation signed in the year 2013.
The Minister hailed the achievement of the Korean Government in the area of Government Digital Service, highlighting that Nigeria could adopt a similar model.
It will be recalled that in the year 2013, the Federal Ministry of Communication Technology and KOICA signed phase 1 of the agreement that cost $8.5M, phase 2 is projected to gulp another $13M. The funds are mostly donated by the Republic of Korea through KOICA.