KOICA Alumni Hold Fourth Annual Gathering


Blessing Bature, Abuja


The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in collaboration with the South Korea International Cooperation Association of Nigeria (SKICAN), which is the KOICA Alumni Association, organized her fourth Annual Gathering yesteray, Abuja.

SKICAN President, Barrister Fidelis Ugbo, revealed that the event was organised to bring together all individuals who had benefitted from the training programmes sponsored by the Republic of Korea through KOICA and stated that the event should encourage partnerships between Nigerians and Koreans for benefits of both countries.

Ugbo said the event was another opportunity to share knowledge and experiences by over 2,000 civil servants who had been trained by KOICA in Korea at different times from 1991 till date, thus strengthening the relationship between the people of Korea and Nigeria.

According to him, KOICA in Nigeria has been tremendously involved in the development of Nigeria through different projects. The Korean Government handed over the Nigeria-Korea Model School to the Government of FCT which was officially commissioned by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari. The Nigeria-Korea Model School is a smart primary and junior secondary school, and experiences are being shared from Korea to set a high standard in the school. School operations began in September 2018 and several children from the neighbouring communities who did not previously have opportunity can now attend school.

KOICA handed over a state-of-the-art e-Government training centre as part of the fulfilment of its commitment to the capacity building project for e-Government in Nigeria in November 2019. KOICA also supported the development of the e-government master plan which was approved by the Federal Executive Council in August 2018, he said.

KOICA is partnering with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to increase access to comprehensive maternal and child healthcare, increase access to fistula care, improve capacity of Result-based Data Management Systems in insurgency affected region in Borno State.

The Alumni Association (SKICAN) also conducted elections for elective positions to lead the association and move it forward for greater impact in Nigeria and more collaborations with Korea.
The event was graciously attended by several dignitaries from the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Nigeria, the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, Galaxy Backbone amongst others.