A partnership between the Republic of South Korea and Bayelsa State government has brought gains to the latter. It has seen the government of South Korea training officials and directors from the Bayelsa State Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The intensive capacity-building on sustainable agricultural development programme, which was fully funded by the Korean government under the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), involved the training of the Chief Agricultural Engineer, Chief Agricultural Officer, Chief Livestock Officer (ADP), and the Fisheries and Animal Husbandry Officers.
Others were the Director of Agricultural Services, the Livestock Officer (Veterinary), a representative of the School-To-Land Programme as well as the Commissioner for Agriculture, Prof. Beke Sese.
The Asian country also donated two tractors to the State Government as part of its support for the state’s agricultural development initiative and contribution to its food security. The Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, who attended the closing ceremony in Seoul, applauded the support of the Korean government.
Governor Diri expressed gratitude, particularly to the immediate past Republic of Korea Ambassador to Nigeria, Kim Young-Chae, for being a true “friend of Bayelsa” and for facilitating the training programme. He said, “I’m happy that by this capacity-building training involving the top echelon of our Ministry of Agriculture, Bayelsa has also benefited from the technological advancement of Korea. I hope and believe they will make positive use of the training and will impart the knowledge acquired back home.
“Let me particularly express our gratitude to a friend of Bayelsa State, Ambassador Kim, who made this training possible. Before he left Nigeria, he also facilitated the shipping of two tractors to our state. We are most grateful to him.
“Based on this new relationship, I believe it will be a win-win for Korea, Nigeria and Bayelsa State. I believe this is the beginning of a relationship that will boost the development of Bayelsa. I have directed my officials to commence discussions with the Jeonbuk State, a self-governing Korean Province, on areas of collaboration.
“I commend the Managing Director of RISTI (Research Institute of Sustainable Technology and Innovation Consulting), all its organs and, of course, KOICA for the fantastic training and the job you have done. “This is one of the ways to bring unity to the world. We do not need the production of arms and armament, which are shipped to other countries to kill ourselves. Let us instead export knowledge, machines and products that will benefit mankind and not those that will kill us.”
