President John Dramani Mahama, in a strategic diplomatic move, has nominated renowned businessman and fintech entrepreneur Kojo Choi as Ghana’s Ambassador-Designate to the Republic of South Korea.
The appointment, confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, places Kojo Choi—a Korean-born Ghanaian citizen and CEO of PaySwitch Limited—at the forefront of strengthening Ghana-South Korea relations in a new era of global diplomacy centred on technology, trade, and innovation.
Choi’s nomination is part of a broader reshuffle that includes ambassadorial postings to countries such as Italy, Kenya, Hungary, Namibia, DR Congo, Saudi Arabia and Burkina Faso. However, his nomination stands out due to his dual cultural heritage, vast private sector experience, and technical insight into digital finance and payments infrastructure.
Born in South Korea, Kojo Choi moved to Ghana as a teenager and later naturalised as a Ghanaian. Over the past two decades, he has built a strong reputation as a business leader in West Africa’s fintech space. Through PaySwitch Limited, he has helped link international card schemes such as Visa and MasterCard with local mobile money platforms like MTN Mobile Money and Vodafone Cash.
His pioneering role in building Ghana’s third-party payment ecosystem makes him an ideal figure to spearhead diplomatic and economic engagements with South Korea—a country globally recognised for its technological advancement and innovation.
Kojo Choi has also served as a business consultant to various international firms and maintained a long-standing relationship with the Korean Embassy in Accra. Beyond business, he has championed cultural causes such as Art Africa, a major initiative that promotes Ghanaian art and identity on the global stage.
Observers within Ghana’s foreign service and business community have welcomed Choi’s appointment as a strategic step toward deepening Ghana’s partnership with Asia’s fourth-largest economy. Ghana and South Korea established diplomatic ties in 1977, but recent years have seen limited bilateral trade engagement.
“Choi’s appointment signals a shift toward diplomacy driven by private-sector innovation and mutual economic opportunity,” said a senior official at the Ministry of Trade.
Bilateral trade between the two nations currently favours Korea, with Ghana primarily exporting cocoa while importing automobiles, machinery, electronics, and consumer goods. With Choi’s appointment, there is growing expectation that Ghana will scale up its exports, attract Korean investment into its digital economy, and expand cooperation in manufacturing, infrastructure and agriculture.
President Mahama’s renewed commitment to economic diplomacy, particularly within the digital and fintech space, is expected to align with Choi’s core strengths.
Analysts say Choi’s appointment reflects a new diplomatic posture for Ghana—one that acknowledges the increasing role of technology, entrepreneurship, and digital finance in shaping global relations.
His fluency in Korean and English, deep understanding of both cultures, and lived experience in both worlds position him to serve not just as a government representative but as a connector between Ghana’s aspirations and Korea’s resources.
Kojo Choi is expected to advance Ghana’s interests under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), tapping into South Korea’s appetite for partnerships across Africa in smart agriculture, green energy, smart cities, and artificial intelligence.
His appointment also symbolises Ghana’s confidence in the private sector’s role in diplomacy, particularly in a global landscape where innovation now rivals tradition as a tool of soft power.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is expected to present Choi before Parliament’s Appointments Committee in the coming weeks. If approved, he will succeed previous envoys who have served in Seoul, including former Ambassador Dedo Difie Agyarko-Kusi.
Until then, Kojo Choi continues to oversee operations at PaySwitch while preparing for what may become one of Ghana’s most significant 21st-century diplomatic postings.
