The Korea Institute for Development Strategy (KDS, President Seung-Hun Chun) held the opening ceremony of the National Agricultural Extension Center (NAEC) in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), on March 25th, 2021 (Local time).
NAEC, built as a part of the project entitled “Strengthening the Agricultural Extension System with a New training Center in DRC (2017-2021/$8 million)”, is the first agricultural extension education and training institution under the Ministry of Agriculture (MINAGRI) in the DRC. The project is funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and implemented by the KDS from Korea. NAEC is expected to promote various educational programs for farmers, such as ▲ Capacity Building Education Program for Agricultural Extension, ▲ Capacity Building Education Program for Crop Cultivation, ▲ Female Farmers Education Program. Trainees of these programs will be public officials, rural instructors, and farmers of agricultural-related ministries in DRC. Also, NAEC will support practical activities for trainees through ▲ The technology dissemination demonstration project, starting from June.
Kim Kie-Joo (Ambassador, Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Congo), Sangchul Kim (Country Deputy Director, KOICA DRC office), Joseph Kasongo (Minister, MINAGRI), Lutula Shoko Lucianne (Director, NAEC), and Kwon Oh-Kyung (PM of the project, KDS) and about 30 stakeholders for the project attended the opening ceremony.
There were an unveiling ceremony of NAEC’s signboard and the delivery ceremony of three vehicles for NAEC operation in the opening ceremony. KOICA additionally provides quarantine facilities and distance education facilities to NAEC to prevent spreading COVID-19 with a “K-quarantine budget,” and the facilities will be procured in May. The quarantine facilities and distance education facilities provided to NAEC will be the first educational center equipped with quarantine facilities to respond to COVID-19 (or other infectious diseases) in DRC.
The project aims to build capacity for National Agricultural Extension to improve the agricultural productivity in DRC, and the project period is from 2017 to 2021 (54 months). The project components are as follows: ▲ NAEC construction to cultivate rural instructors and farmer’s leaders ▲ Development of curriculum and textbooks of the training, ▲ Research on improvement of agricultural extension system in DRC and legalization of the center, ▲ Establishment of the center operation plan and strengthening operational capabilities, ▲Training of Trainers (ToT), ▲Training of Leaders (ToL), ▲Technology dissemination demonstration.
