The ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister of Korea and Agriculture Ministers from eight African nations, namely The Gambia, Senegal, Guinea, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Uganda, Cameroon and Kenya. The minister was accompanied by the Director General of the National seed secretariat, Mr Morro Manga.
The objective of the MoU is to promote the establishment of rice cultivation complexes and improve rice seed production and supply systems in The Gambia. This is a five-year cooperation agreement expected to help the Gambia's transition to a rice-self-sufficient nation.
The MoU contains a pledge by Korea to establish extensive irrigation infrastructure, supply high-yield rice seeds and training of Gambians in the fields of irrigation and water engineering and seed science.
The initiative, otherwise known as the K-rice belt, is geared towards knowledge and technology transfer from Korea.
