Accra, May 22, GNA - Mr Wi Keyei Chul, South Korean Ambassador to Ghana, on Thursday said his Government in cooperation with the Ghanaian Foreign Ministry has started an E-administration project to network all her diplomatic missions.

The partnership between his country and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are aiming at making Information Technology more accessible and available to the Ministry in the performance of its duties. Mr Wi said this when he paid a familiarisation visit to the Ghana News Agency and to establish a strong bond of friendship with the Agency.

He said the Government of South Korea would pay about five million dollars for the provision of educational and health facilities, adding, "South Korea as a model of developing countries is prepared to partner Ghana in its socio-economic drive to development".

Mr Wi said with strong hope and desire to be with Ghana in the process of development, "Korea is prepared to transfer experiences and know-how to Ghana".

He said in 2007 about 31 experts were invited to train Ghanaian economists and promised that the capacity building would continue adding, "we will soon organize a seminar in collaboration with the IEA (Institute of Economic Affairs) to share experiences in economic development".

Mr Wi said his country would also implement various models for development particularly an agriculture model under its new Village Development Movement to help to boost the growth of the Sector. Under its South Korean Initiative for African Development, that country's Government would also partner Ghana in developing its infrastructure; energy and the mining sectors, describing Ghana as a stable country with lots of prospects for development that needed to be harnessed.

Nana Appau Duah, General Manager, GNA, expressed the Agency's willingness to partner South Korea in telling its success story. He lauded the intention of South Korea to introduce a new agricultural model - new Village Development Movement - and said it would help to raise standard of living as well as create employment for the youth in the rural areas.

Nana Duah said South Korea was now a model country to Africa and called for the strengthening of its relationship with Ghana to their mutual benefit. He suggested the fashioning out of an exchange programme between the Agency and the Korean News Agency (Yonhap News Agency) to build capacity and enhance personnel development. Mr Boakye-Dankwa Boadi, Supervising Chief Editor of the Agency, called for ICT assistance to upgrade the Agency's systems and urged South Korea to pilot the agriculture model to assess its successes before replication across the country.