Ghana's new ambassador to South Korea, Kojo Choi, born in Korea, hopes to strengthen bilateral ties by leveraging cultural similarities and economic opportunities. In an interview with Yonhap News Agency, he highlighted Ghana's production of critical minerals for EV batteries and its role as a gateway to African markets.
Kojo Choi, Ghana's ambassador to South Korea, a naturalized Ghanaian born in Korea, arrived in Seoul in October 2025. In an interview with Yonhap News Agency, he emphasized cultural similarities between the two nations. "The cultures of the two countries are remarkably similar. Just like Korea places great importance on its ethnic identity, Ghana also values its national identity with the same intensity," he said. He added that both prioritize family-centered life and community.
Choi moved to Ghana in 1992 with his missionary parents and built a reputation as a successful businessman there, which he calls his "second motherland." However, his appointment sparked public opposition in Ghana. "I had never expected my appointment would be at the center of such heated controversy. Seeing it escalate into a national issue weighed heavily on me," he recalled. Stories of his childhood in Ghana and missionary service helped shift public opinion.
Economically, amid global supply chain uncertainties, Choi suggested Ghana as a key to Korea's new growth strategy. Ghana produces critical minerals like nickel, lithium, and manganese for EV batteries and is nurturing an EV ecosystem. "With Hyundai Motor's assembly plant in Ghana as a starting point, I believe new opportunities will emerge if we expand our partnership to include both the upstream and downstream sectors of the battery industry," he said. Ghana also serves as a logistics gateway to Europe and the United States.
He noted talks between sub-Saharan nations and the U.S. to revive duty-free access, paused under the Trump administration. "If we can make use of this institutional basis, we can realize a market expansion strategy that connects Ghana, Africa, Europe and the U.S.," he said. Ahead of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2027, Choi hopes to co-host K-pop performances in Ghana and facilitate reciprocal state visits by President Lee Jae-myung and Ghanaian President John Mahama. "My greatest goal is to help Korea, the country where I was born, and Ghana, the country that raised me, become the closest of friends and the strongest of partners," he added.
