InterviewGhana’s envoy finds surreal homecoming in the land of his birth

Ghanaian Ambassador to Korea Choi Ko-jo speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the Embassy of Ghana in Seoul. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Ghana’s Ambassador to Korea Choi Ko-jo says his appointment carries a deeply personal meaning as someone born in Korea and raised in Ghana — a life shaped, he says, by “two mothers.”

Speaking in an interview with The Korea Times at the Embassy of Ghana in Seoul on Feb. 25, Choi said becoming Ghana’s top envoy to the country of his birth was something he never imagined.

“It is personally hard to believe,” he said. “I never dreamed of this or worked toward it deliberately. When it happened, it felt surreal — I’m just relieved this is not a TV program.”

Choi moved to Ghana in 1992 with his missionary parents and spent most of his formative years there. That experience, he said, defined his identity and worldview.

“I truly have two mothers,” he said. “Korea gave birth to me, and Ghana raised me. When I think of these two nations, they are both mothers to me.”

Serving as ambassador, Choi said, means becoming a living bridge between the two countries he loves most — a role he described as both an honor and a heavy responsibility.

“To connect my two mothers is an incredible privilege,” he said. “But it is also precious and burdensome at the same time.”

Choi is believed to be the first Korean-born diplomat appointed by a sub-Saharan African nation as its ambassador. He said the decision reflects Ghana’s values and the importance it places on relations with Korea.

“Ghana is the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to appoint a foreign-born individual as ambassador,” he said. “To me, this represents Ghana’s respect for diversity and how highly it values its relationship with Korea.”

The appointment, however, was not without debate at home. Choi acknowledged that reactions in Ghana were mixed, driven largely by strong national pride.

“There were people who supported it and people who did not oppose it outright but said they could not yet fully understand it,” he said.

Such responses, he added, are natural in societies with a strong sense of national identity.

“Ghanaians, like Koreans, have very strong national pride,” he said. “If a foreign-born person were given a similar role in Korea, I imagine the reactions would also be divided.”

Rather than discouraging him, the skepticism reinforced his sense of duty.

“When people do not yet understand, that can become an opportunity for unity,” Choi said. “As people reflect more deeply on why this decision was made and what its strengths and weaknesses are, it can actually bring them together.”

For Choi, the answer to any lingering doubts is performance.

“The only way to respond is to carry out my mission well,” he said. “If I do my job properly, it will become evidence that this was a good decision by the president. That is why I feel I must work even harder.”

Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama delivers a state of the nation address to Parliament in Accra, Feb. 27. Reuters-Yonhap

50th anniversary of diplomatic ties

As Korea and Ghana approach the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, Choi said the relationship is poised to evolve from a long-standing friendship to deeper, future-oriented economic cooperation, particularly in agriculture, manufacturing and value chain development.

Describing the past half-century as “50 years of sincerity,” Choi said bilateral ties have been marked by trust rather than strategic calculation.

“For the last 50 years, Korea stood by Ghana as a genuine friend, without imposing specific conditions or objectives,” he said. “That sincerity has been clearly felt in Ghana.”

He cited Korea’s development assistance through agencies such as Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and financial cooperation via export credit institutions as examples of engagement rooted in partnership rather than leverage.

Looking ahead, Choi said the next phase of relations must translate goodwill into tangible economic outcomes.

“Korea and Ghana possess assets that are very different but highly complementary,” he said. “If these strengths are properly combined, the partnership can become far more strategic.”

He pointed to Korea’s industrial experience, technological capabilities and rapid postwar development, contrasted with Ghana’s abundant natural resources, arable land, waterways and young population.

“Resources are not only minerals,” Choi said. “They include people, land, water and future markets — areas where Ghana and Africa as a whole offer opportunities that Korea does not have domestically.”

Agriculture and agro-processing, he said, stand out as particularly promising areas for cooperation. Ghana has about 12 million hectares of arable land, including roughly 4 million hectares near Volta Lake, the world’s largest man-made lake by surface area. The farmland near the lake alone, he noted, is about one-third the size of Korea.

“Korea relies heavily on food imports and lacks large-scale farming,” Choi said. “Ghana can offer land, labor and access to markets, while Korea can provide technology, crop science and processing expertise.”

To ensure sustainability, Choi urged Korean companies to adopt a value chain or consortium-based approach rather than pursuing isolated investments.

“In the past, many companies entered African markets alone and eventually burned out,” he said. “If manufacturers, raw material suppliers, packaging firms and logistics companies enter together as a team, the success rate rises significantly.”

Such a model, he added, would be particularly suitable for small and medium-sized Korean firms facing rising costs and shrinking domestic markets.

“Raw materials can be sourced locally, labor costs are lower and outbound shipping from Ghana is significantly cheaper,” he said, noting that Ghana’s ports often have surplus shipping capacity because the country imports more than it exports.

Choi also emphasized Ghana’s strategic position as a gateway to Africa and global markets. The country hosts the secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area and offers access not only to West Africa but to the entire continent. Exports to Europe and the United States, he said, also benefit from preferential trade arrangements such as the U.S. African Growth and Opportunity Act.

Interest from Korean companies, Choi said, is already rising. He confirmed that a Korean pharmaceutical firm is planning a manufacturing facility in Ghana valued at more than $100 million, with other companies exploring entry into African markets via Ghana.

“Africa is where future markets are,” he said. “With a median age of around 20, this is where companies need to position themselves for the next 10 to 20 years.”

Looking ahead, Choi said his priority is ensuring that the growing closeness between the two nations leads to real economic cooperation.

“Friendship must materialize into businesses on the ground,” he said. “I want to return to Ghana knowing that I helped turn trust into lasting partnerships.”