KABUL: A delegation from Afghanistan has spent a week in Korea — their first visit — to seek business opportunities in Korea.
The delegation included lawmaker Samia Azizi Sadat, BBC Afghanistan Bureau national manager Ahmad Shafaee and Presidential Adviser on Private Sector Development and Food Security Khan Jan Alokozai.
During the week-long visit, they participated in a Nutrition and Education International (NEI) training program. As part of the program, they learned about Korea’s Saemaul Undong, a government-initiated campaign that changed the country in the 1970s.
“Because Afghanistan is in the same situation that Korea was in the past, we will use what we learned from Samaul Undong in developing our country,” said Alokozai, who is also Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries first vice chairman.
Alokozai said he hoped to increase yearly trade volume between the two nations to $1 billion from about $200 million now.
“There are some security challenges, but the new government is committed to bringing peace to the country and to work for the economic development of the country through establishing good relations to other countries,” he said.
“We are there to provide the required support for Koreans interested in investing in our country.”
NEI is a non-profit organization that Doctor Steven Kwon founded in 2003 to fight malnutrition among people in high-mortality areas in Afghanistan.
The foundation has helped to build a soy industry, which has expanded to 22 provinces.
