Siazongo Siakalenge, Zambia’s deputy secretary to the cabinet for finance and economic development, speaks in an interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul on Monday. (Sanjay Kumar/The Korea Herald) Zambia is urging South Korea to move beyond pledges and deliver financing commitments, industrial investment and technology partnerships as Seoul expands its engagement with African countries, says Siazongo Siakalenge, Zambia’s deputy secretary to the cabinet for finance and economic development.In an interview with The Korea Herald, Siakalenge said that Lusaka hopes the meeting will deliver practical partnerships in infrastructure, digital transformation, green growth and industrial development.“Let us leave this forum with implementation roadmaps, financing commitments and mechanisms that turn partnership into reality,” Siakalenge said.South Korea plans to provide $800 million in development aid to Africa, underscoring the continent’s growing importance in Seoul’s economic, energy and development strategy.Critical minerals and supply chain opportunitiesAs global demand rises for minerals needed in clean energy technologies, Zambia is positioning itself as a reliable partner in international supply chains, according to Siakalenge.Zambia's vast reserves of copper, cobalt and manganese, combined with South Korea's technological expertise and industrial capabilities, create a natural partnership to support the global green energy transition, according to Siakalenge."Korea is one of those countries probably leading in green energy, so it would not be wrong to come to Zambia,” Siakalenge said.“Our approach goes beyond extraction,” he said.South Korea views Zambia and Africa as key partners for securing critical minerals and diversifying supply chains, particularly for batteries, electric vehicles and clean-energy technologies.Siakalenge said Zambia and South Korea can deepen cooperation through critical minerals, investment and technology partnerships, stressing that such collaboration should be built on transparency, predictability and shared values, with Zambia supporting secure supply chains and Korea contributing industrial expertise.“We want local value addition, job creation, skills transfer and community development," the deputy secretary said, underlining Zambia's vision of industrialization for greater domestic benefits from its natural resources.Despite strong opportunities, Korean companies face challenges in Africa, including infrastructure gaps, high financing costs, regulatory uncertainty and competition from established Chinese firms.Still, Siakalenge urged Seoul to deepen its engagement, saying there is "a lot of room" to increase trade and investment between Korea, Zambia and the broader African continent.He identified industrialization, digital transformation and peace cooperation as key priorities for Korea-Africa relations and called for greater Korean investment in Zambia's mining and manufacturing sectors.Citing South Korea’s development success, he urged stronger collaboration in technology transfer and skills development.“To move the partnership to the next level, we need a strategic economic partnership driven by trade, investment, industrialization and innovation,” he said, while expressing hope that Seoul will establish a resident embassy in Zambia.