Mr. Chulvat Narinthrangura, Director-General of the Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA), hosted a welcome dinner at the Dusit Thani Pattaya Hotel to inaugurate the Thailand Development Forum for Africa. The event marked the beginning of a week-long program aimed at deepening development cooperation and knowledge exchange between Thailand and African countries.

The dinner brought together senior officials from the ministries of foreign affairs and development cooperation agencies of 15 African nations, including Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, and Uganda.

In his welcome remarks, Mr. Chulvat thanked the delegates for their participation and reaffirmed Thailand’s commitment to supporting sustainable development through South-South Cooperation. He emphasized the forum’s role as a platform for sharing experiences, practical knowledge, and innovations that can address mutual development challenges.

Highlighting Thailand’s development approach, Mr. Chulvat underscored the importance of the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP) and the Bio-Circular-Green Economy (BCG) Model as guiding principles in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He noted that the forum’s field visits will provide valuable, hands-on learning opportunities that can be adapted to each country’s unique development context.

Mr. Chulvat expressed confidence that the forum would foster stronger partnerships and lead to expanded collaboration between Thailand and African countries in key areas of mutual interest.

Following the keynote, Lt. Sorawud Preededilok, Minister attached to TICA, delivered a presentation on Thailand’s development cooperation efforts across the African continent. He highlighted flagship initiatives such as the Annual International Training Courses (AITC), the Thailand International Postgraduate Programme (TIPP), and technical cooperation in areas including agriculture, prosthetics development, and human resource capacity building.

Running from May 11 to 16, 2025, the Thailand Development Forum for Africa features study visits to model sites demonstrating Thailand’s best practices in public health, tourism, and agriculture. Delegates will also participate in a special dinner dialogue focused on promoting investment cooperation and regional development partnerships.

The forum underscores Thailand’s commitment to building lasting, impactful relationships with African partners—anchored in shared learning, mutual respect, and inclusive development.