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South Korean Tech Companies Making Inroads In Africa

South Korean Tech Companies Making Inroads In Africa

While China snakes its influence in technology across the African continent, one of its smaller neighbors has also been making inroads in countries far from home. South Korea, one of the Far East’s technological powerhouses, claims to have a stronghold in the central African country of Rwanda.

The unlikely story begins with KT Corporation (KT), a South Korean telecoms giant, which started helping to form the backbone to Rwanda’s communications infrastructure a decade ago. The state-owned company currently builds and operates ICT services in Rwanda’s public and private markets, and provides a 4G service in partnership with the Rwandan government.

From CNBC.

Korea re-opened its embassy in the Rwandan capital of Kigali in 2011 after closure due to conflict. “Surprisingly there is a great deal of common ground between the two countries,” Lee Dong Ku, deputy chief of mission at the Korean embassy in Rwanda, told CNBC.

South Korea shares a common geography and history with Rwanda which sets the relationship apart from other international players. For starters, both countries are small and mountainous with few natural resources, which in turn means a greater focus on innovation.