(Yonhap Interview) Inspired by S. Korea's growth, Rwanda eyes closer ties in technology, human exchanges: top envoy
SEOUL, July 17 (Yonhap) -- Rwanda has drawn inspiration from South Korea's impressive post-war economic transformation and hopes to expand bilateral cooperation in such areas as technology and people-to-people exchanges, its top envoy to Seoul has said.
Ambassador Bakuramutsa Nkubito Manzi made the remarks as he highlighted the great potential for future partnership between the two countries based on their official ties forged more than six decades ago.
"Korea's remarkable development journey continues to inspire Rwanda, and we see immense potential to deepen our cooperation in innovation, human capital and trade," Nkubito said during an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday.
"Much like Korea's post-war transformation, Rwanda is focused on unlocking human potential as the engine of long-term prosperity ... We look forward to deepening collaboration in areas such as AI, cybersecurity, digital trade and green mobility," he said.
Nkubito, who assumed his post in Seoul in March 2023, described Rwanda as one of Africa's most secure and forward-looking nations, having rebuilt itself from the devastation of the 1994 genocide that claimed more than 800,000 lives.
The conflict erupted when members of the majority Hutu population massacred the minority Tutsi group after a plane carrying Rwanda's then Hutu president was shot down. In 1998, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda convicted individuals responsible for their roles in the mass killings.
To honor the victims, Rwanda holds a national period of mourning every year. In August 2023, then Foreign Minister Park Jin also visited the memorial site in Kigali to pay tribute during his visit to the East African country, the first trip in 10 years for a top South Korean diplomat.
"Our nation chose a new path: one defined by reconciliation, accountability and collective progress. These values remain the foundation of our governance and development model," Nkubito said.
As a rapidly developing African nation based on such resilience, Rwanda has particularly sought to nurture the technology sector as a key growth engine, a field where his country hopes to see more collaboration with Korea, he noted.
"In terms of leveraging robotics, for the running of data centers and for the manufacturing, (there is) good potential because that's where Rwanda is also leading," Nkubito said. "We see an opportunity to leverage the Korean know-how to find more solutions to our existing problems on the continent."
Nkubito cited the fourth-generation (4G) long-term evolution (LTE) project by South Korea's KT Corp. in Rwanda as a prime example of ICT cooperation between the two countries.
The project, completed in 2018, has brought nationwide 4G LTE coverage to 97 percent of the 13.5 million Rwandan population. It has enabled the use of artificial intelligence in its healthcare systems, drone deliveries of medical supplies and smart classrooms in schools through the fastest internet access in Africa.
In this regard, the ambassador said Rwanda hopes to expand cooperation in the biotech industry, from research in new medicine and improvement of biotech equipment at medical centers to training of physicians.
Nkubito also underlined the importance of increasing people-to-people exchanges to advance the partnership with South Korea, saying that one of his goals as ambassador is to open direct flights between Seoul and Kigali.
"Rwanda is blessed with a rich and diverse landscape and a unique natural environment. I really invite all Koreans to visit," he said.
Going forward, Rwanda looks to advance ties with South Korea as a "strategic partnership" by working closely with the new Lee Jae Myung government, Nkubito said.
With South Korea's trade with Africa currently accounting for about 1.5 percent of its gross domestic product, increasing that share would make a meaningful contribution to Korea's economy, the ambassador said.
"We strongly believe that if that contribution is increased to 5 percent, Korea can easily be ranked much higher in the global ranking of economies," he said.
"Most other markets are already saturated but Africa still has a lot of room to grow ... I believe that there's a lot of strategic partnership that can be built and Rwanda is a good candidate for that."
elly@yna.co.kr
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