Ghana’s Ambassador-designate to South Korea, Kojo Choi, on Wednesday, 27 August 2025, paid a courtesy call on the Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) and Senior Advisor to the President on the Sustainable Development Goals, Dr. Nii Moi Thompson, to explore avenues for strengthening cooperation between Ghana and South Korea.
The meeting highlighted Ghana’s interest in drawing lessons from South Korea’s rapid economic growth, particularly in industrialization, research and development, and infrastructure development. It also provided an opportunity to congratulate Dr. Thompson on his appointment.
Dr. Thompson recalled his visit to South Korea in 2015 and the discussions he had with a business development strategist, who mentioned that South Korea was suffering from “capital saturation” and needed opportunities to invest some of its surplus capital abroad.
He emphasized the need to attract some of these investments to Ghana, citing the country’s strategic location and proximity to key markets, including European markets. He further highlighted the Korea Railway Research Institute and other research-based institutions as examples Ghana could learn from through technical cooperation and knowledge sharing.
On development cooperation, Dr. Thompson disclosed that a stalled Korean-funded agro-processing project had been revived and was now being implemented under the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Agro-Processing.
He also announced NDPC’s plans to digitize its monitoring and evaluation systems to enhance accountability in public service delivery. According to him, with the proposed system, citizens would be able to provide real-time feedback through digital platforms, including QR codes, similar to private sector practices in health facilities such as the Nyaho Medical Centre.
For his part, Ambassador Choi, who is a naturalized Ghanaian of Korean descent, expressed his commitment to strengthening ties between Ghana and Korea, not only in trade and investment but also in social and cultural exchanges. He revealed his personal mission to reconnect Ghanaian-Korean children with their biological families, a matter he described as sensitive but crucial for deepening people-to-people relations.
The discussions also touched on Ghana’s development plans, including the President’s Coordinated Programme of Economic and Social Development Policies and the Ghana Infrastructure Plan, which NDPC is preparing.
Dr. Thompson noted that the Coordinated Programme would contain plans that would inform the development of key performance indicators the government intends to assign to each diplomat representing Ghana.
Both officials pledged to maintain close engagement to advance cooperation in trade, investment, infrastructure, and human development.
The Chairman also introduced Mr. Choi to some NDPC staff who have benefitted from training and capacity building by the South Korean government over the years, as well as members of Ghana’s Korean Alumni, who shared their experiences and highlighted opportunities for Ghana-Korea collaboration, urging the Ambassador’s support.
