SEOUL, South Korea Jun 2 \u2014 Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi has called for renewed Global South solidarity, stronger multilateral cooperation, and deeper Africa\u2013Korea partnerships as Kenya positions itself as a key strategic player in a shifting global order.<\/p>\n
Speaking at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul on Tuesday, Mudavadi outlined Kenya\u2019s foreign policy direction under the theme \u201cFrom Regional Anchor to Global Influence: Kenya\u2019s Strategic Foreign Policy Outlook in an Evolving World Order.\u201d The lecture was hosted at the invitation of University President Ji-Beom Yoo and Dean of Political Science Dr. Wonbin Cho.<\/p>\n
He said the world is increasingly facing geopolitical fragmentation, economic uncertainty, and weakening international cooperation, forcing countries\u2014particularly in Africa\u2014to rethink their diplomatic and economic strategies.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe still confront the hard realities of an increasingly volatile global landscape with far-reaching implications for the global economic and security architecture,\u201d Mudavadi said.<\/p>\n
He warned that multilateralism is under strain, pointing to rising unilateral actions, sanctions regimes, trade disputes, and the growing \u201cweaponisation\u201d of global economic tools.<\/p>\n
\u201cMultilateralism is under strain as unilateralism resurges, alongside the weaponization of tariffs and the expansion of sanctions regimes,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Mudavadi also observed that diplomacy is increasingly being replaced by transactional relations between states, with sovereignty and international cooperation under pressure.<\/p>\n
\u201cDiplomacy is increasingly being treated as a transaction and sovereignty as a negotiable property,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He linked current global instability to a series of ongoing crises, including the COVID-19 aftermath, the Russia\u2013Ukraine war, and conflicts in the Middle East, noting their ripple effects on African economies.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese shocks have compounded economic hardships in Africa, underscoring the need for deeper integration, diversified partnerships and enhanced investment in science, technology and innovation,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n
The Prime CS further highlighted humanitarian crises in Sudan and South Sudan, where conflict and climate shocks have displaced millions and disrupted education systems.<\/p>\n
Against this backdrop, he urged African nations to strengthen regional integration and reduce reliance on external aid, instead focusing on trade, investment, and self-driven development.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfrican states are charting a forward-looking and people-centred approach driven by diversification in cooperation, trade and investment, rather than aid dependency,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mudavadi underscored the importance of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), describing it as a critical framework for boosting intra-African trade and developing regional value chains in sectors such as agriculture and pharmaceuticals.<\/p>\n
He also called for reforms in global governance systems, including the United Nations, ahead of the election of a new UN Secretary-General later this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfrica\u2019s position is that multilateralism must be reformed and strengthened, not abandoned,\u201d he said, warning that the upcoming election could be pivotal for the future of global cooperation.<\/p>\n
Turning to Kenya\u2013South Korea relations, Mudavadi praised the growing partnership in technology, education, and innovation, highlighting joint projects such as Konza Technopolis and the Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (Kenya-AIST), modeled after Korea\u2019s KAIST.<\/p>\n
He described South Korea as a key partner in Kenya\u2019s digital transformation agenda, particularly in the development of the digital economy and innovation ecosystems.<\/p>\n
Mudavadi also showcased Kenya\u2019s position as Africa\u2019s \u201cSilicon Savannah,\u201d citing advancements in fintech and mobile innovation, including the success of M-Pesa.<\/p>\n
He emphasized Kenya\u2019s strategic location as a gateway to East and Central Africa, offering access to a market of more than 1.5 billion consumers under AfCFTA.<\/p>\n
The Prime Cabinet Secretary further noted Nairobi\u2019s growing global significance as a diplomatic and financial hub, hosting major UN agencies including UNEP and UN-Habitat.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a world where diplomacy is increasingly reduced to transactional exchanges, peace treated as a private enterprise and nations locked in the \u2018Dignity Trap,\u2019 Kenya chooses a different path,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe choose partnership over patronage; principle over opportunism; dialogue over use of force.\u201d<\/p>\n
He concluded by inviting South Korean scholars, investors, and citizens to deepen engagement with Kenya through trade, tourism, education, and cultural exchange.<\/p>\n
\u201cVisit Kenya. Invest in Kenya. Learn with Kenya,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen Africa and Korea rise together, the world does not merely become safer. It becomes prosperous.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SEOUL, South Korea Jun 2 \u2014 Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi has called for renewed Global South solidarity, stronger multilateral cooperation, and deeper Africa\u2013Korea partnerships as Kenya positions itself as a key strategic player in a shifting global order. Speaking at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul on Tuesday, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-142899","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142899","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=142899"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142899\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=142899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=142899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=142899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}