Ryu Je-myeong, Second Vice Minister of Science and ICT, met with Botswana’s Vice President Ndaba Nkosinathi Gaolathe during his visit to Korea to discuss ways for the two countries to cooperate in artificial intelligence (AI) and information and communications technology (ICT). The meeting offered an opportunity to share Korea’s experience of digital innovation with Botswana, which is seeking to shift from a resource-driven economy to a knowledge-based one.
 [코리안투데이] Second Vice Minister Ryu Je-myeong of the Ministry of Science and ICT meets with Botswana’s Vice President Ndaba Nkosinathi Gaolathe © 장형임 기자 |
The Ministry of Science and ICT (led by Bae Kyung-hoon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT) announced that Second Vice Minister Ryu Je-myeong met on September 8 with Botswana’s Vice President Ndaba Nkosinathi Gaolathe, who is visiting Korea, to discuss cooperation between the two nations in AI and ICT.
The meeting was arranged at the request of the Botswana government, which is working to transition from a resource-driven economy to a digital, knowledge-based one. Heavily dependent on mineral resources such as diamonds, Botswana is pursuing a diversification of its industrial structure through its 《Vision 2036》 strategy, and it is looking to Korea’s growth trajectory as one possible path forward.
Expressing his support for Botswana’s 《Vision 2036》 strategy, Vice Minister Ryu introduced Korea’s own journey of innovation from a resource-poor nation to an ICT powerhouse, and explained the key AI policies and achievements currently under way.
In particular, Vice Minister Ryu shared Korea’s experience with the citizen-oriented 《10 Major AI Projects for Everyday Life》 and its regional AX (AI transformation) efforts, stressing that initiatives such as the ‘AI Digital Learning Centers’ aimed at closing the digital divide could serve as useful references for Botswana. Rather than merely listing policy outcomes, he pointed to cases in which AI has been spread into the daily lives of citizens and into local communities, underscoring the need for an approach that embraces marginalized groups in the course of a developing country’s digital transformation.
Vice Minister Ryu also cited the outcome of AI investment cooperation with global big tech worth 950 billion dollars, and called for the Botswana government’s particular support for the ‘Global AI Hub’ to be established in Korea to help address shared challenges facing humanity, such as climate and food security.
Vice Minister Ryu Je-myeong said, ‘I hope that sharing today’s valuable experience can help Botswana advance the great transition toward the knowledge-based economy it aspires to, and that it will mark the first step toward mutual prosperity for both our countries.’
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