Seoul, (SONNA) — Korea and African Nations Discuss Strategic Cooperation in Supply Chains, Critical Minerals, Renewable Energy, and Food Security
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea hosted the 2026 Korea-Africa Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) in Seoul on May 31, co-chaired by Vice Minister for Political Affairs Jung Eui-hye and Betty Osafo Mensah, Director of Diaspora Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ghana.
As the First Vice-Chair of the African Union (AU) for 2026, Ghana represented the African delegation and served as co-chair of the meeting.
In her opening remarks, Vice Minister Jung emphasized that amid increasingly complex global challenges, including the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Korea and Africa must strengthen solidarity and cooperation more than ever before.
She highlighted that Korea, with its advanced technological capabilities, and Africa, endowed with abundant natural resources—including oil, gas, and critical minerals as well as significant geopolitical importance in global maritime routes, are natural partners capable of fostering mutually beneficial cooperation and sustainable development.
“Korea and Africa possess complementary strengths that can contribute to addressing global uncertainties and promoting sustainable growth,” Jung stated. “By combining Korea’s innovation and industrial expertise with Africa’s vast resources and strategic location, both sides can create a resilient and prosperous future together.
Director Mensah noted that the strategic importance of Korea-Africa cooperation has become even more evident in the face of today’s interconnected global crises.
She expressed hope that practical cooperation between Korea and African countries would be elevated to a new level in areas such as critical minerals, supply chain resilience, renewable energy, and food security.
Held one day before the Korea-Africa Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on June 1, the Senior Officials’ Meeting brought together more than 50 senior representatives from African countries and international organizations to discuss ways to advance shared prosperity, sustainable growth, and stronger Korea-Africa solidarity.
Somalia was represented by Mr. Said Jama Mire, Director of Asia and Australia at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, who participated in the meeting and reaffirmed Somalia’s commitment to strengthening cooperation with the Republic of Korea and African partners in trade, investment, infrastructure, digitalization, education, and technology transfer. He also reiterated Somalia’s support for collective action on global challenges, including climate change, food security, public health, and terrorism.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the meeting was attended by senior officials representing 50 African countries and four international organizations.
Participants engaged in extensive discussions on key issues including economic cooperation, supply chain stability, energy transition, climate action, food security, and sustainable development. They also explored concrete measures to deepen the strategic partnership between Korea and Africa in response to evolving global challenges.
The Ministry stated that the meeting served as an important platform for laying the groundwork for the successful Korea-Africa Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and further strengthening the strategic partnership between Korea and African nations.
The 2026 Korea-Africa Senior Officials’ Meeting reaffirmed the shared commitment of Korea and Africa to building a future based on mutual trust, sustainable development, and enhanced cooperation across diplomacy, trade, investment, and people-to-people exchanges.
