On 11 May 2025, Mr. Chulvat Narinthrangura, Director-General of the Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA), hosted a welcome dinner for senior officials from the ministries of foreign affairs and development cooperation agencies of 15 African countries, including Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, and Uganda, who were attending the Thailand Development Forum for Africa.

The Director-General welcomed and 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.

He also 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 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.

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.

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