1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a meeting of experts on Africa on April 11 as part of efforts to pursue diplomacy where public opinion is reflected through engagement with private sector experts.

o The meeting brought together about 60 experts on Africa, including chairman Lee Joo-young of the National Assembly Forum for Africa's New Era, and lawmakers Sul hoon and Kim Kyu-hwan, as well as experts from the media, academia, relevant domestic agencies, and civil society.

※ Previous meetings: 1st (September 2015), 2nd (December 2015), 3rd (March 2016), 4th (July 2016), 5th (October 2016), 6th (January 2017), 7th (November 2017)

※ The National Assembly Forum for Africa's New Era was created in September 2013 to promote high-level exchanges between parliaments and enhance understanding on Africa.

2. The 8th meeting, held under the theme “ways to promote public-private partnerships to strengthen cooperation between the ROK and Africa,” served as an opportunity to share Africa-related activities being conducted by the government and private organizations, including the establishment of the Korea-Africa Foundation, to be officially launched as an affiliate of the Foreign Ministry in the first half of the year, and plans for its operation, as well as plans to prepare the African Development Bank (AfDB)’s annual meeting, to be held in Busan in May.

o The participants exchanged various views on ways the public and private sectors can work together effectively to step up cooperation with African countries in a range of areas, including political, economic and cultural affairs, development, education and healthcare.

3. In particular, the meeting took place amid the growing importance of Africa as an economic partner for co-prosperity in the future, as demonstrated by the fact that African countries officially launched the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in Kigali, Rwanda, on March 2, with the goal of creating a single market of 1.2 billion people and a GDP of more than $3 trillion. By serving as an opportunity to exchange a range of views with experts from various fields, and to make use of the capabilities of the government and the private sector, the meeting is expected to contribute to strengthening diplomacy towards Africa where public opinion is reflected.

* unofficial translation