Vice President Kashim Shettima has solicited for the support and partnership with the Republic of Korea in the area of digital skills training for young Nigerians.
Shettima disclosed this Tuesday when he received a delegation from the Republic of Korea led by the Special Envoy to the President, H.E. Jang Sungmin, at the Presidential Villa.
The vice president in a statement issued Tuesday by the Director Information, Office of the Vice President, Olusola Abiola, said the federal government plans to create one million jobs in the digital world.
Shettima said: “Nigeria and Korea have a very robust bilateral relationship that is anchored on years of mutual trust and cooperation. A lot of Korean companies are doing business in Nigeria especially in the area of oil and gas. Six of our LNG trains were constructed by Korean companies.”
“We are fully committed to a very robust relationship between our nations. We need to learn a lot from Korea especially in the areas of manufacturing and agriculture. You are a success story worthy of emulation by all developing nations.”
The vice president added that many years ago in the 50s and 60s, the Korean GDP was at par with many African countries but today, Korea is among the developed nations, saying this was partly due to the leadership and commitment of the Korean people.
Shettima added: “We are willing to partner with you in the area of technology because by 2030, there will be a 65% global talent deficit with the US, Russia and Brazil suffering 6 million talent deficit. I believe Nigeria is in a unique position to fill in those talent deficits because ours is a young nation.
“75% of Nigerians are below the age of 35, so we are soliciting for your partnership and support in digital skills training for our young people. We want to create 1 million jobs in the digital world. India earned $120 billion last year from global outsourcing and we are in a unique position to take advantage of the opportunities in the sector. We need the skills set, we need the technology to drive the process and yours is a technology that we can embrace.”
The Vice President assured the Korean government of the Tinubu administration’s commitment to partner with Korea to strengthen relations with both countries especially balancing the trade deficit between the two countries.
According to him, “Security and economic development is the focus of our government. The government will make it easier for Korean businesses and other foreign investors to do business in Nigeria. Korea has always supported us in the international fora and we have that obligation to reciprocate by supporting Korean businesses operating in Nigeria.”
Earlier Sungmin, who congratulated Nigeria for the successful inauguration of the new government, conveyed a special invitation from President Yoon to his Nigerian counterpart, Bola Tinubu, to attend the forthcoming Africa-Korea Summit in South Korea.
He also restated his country’s continuous support for Nigeria across different sectors, noting that Korea’s collaboration with Nigeria could lead the 4th industrial revolution, while maintaining that Korea’s development is akin to Nigeria’s development.”