President John Dramani Mahama has held bilateral talks with the President of the Republic of Korea, Mr. Lee Jae-Myung, discussing enhanced cooperation in agriculture, critical minerals exploitation, and technology transfer.
The bilateral meeting took place on Wednesday in Seoul as part of President Mahama’s five-day working visit to the Republic of Korea.
During the talks, President Mahama stated that the bilateral focus has been strongly on agriculture and agribusiness to help achieve food security, with cooperation with KOICA being very important, particularly in increasing rice production through the K-Rice Belt Project.
He explained that Ghana looks forward to the availability of high-yielding rice varieties that will help expand production, noting that rice has now become a staple food in Ghana and the country wants to reduce rice imports.
The President stated that Ghana has abundant natural and human resources, while Korea has technology and innovation, expressing belief that both countries can bring these strengths together in a win-win partnership.
President Mahama disclosed that Ghana is committed to adding value to its products, revealing that the country wants to create more value by processing cocoa into products such as cocoa liquor and cocoa butter for export.
He explained that due to climate change, cocoa production has experienced challenges with production declining a few years ago while this year experiencing overproduction, leading to price fluctuations.
The President stated that Ghana, like many African countries, has substantial potential in critical minerals, currently exploiting resources such as bauxite, manganese, and gold, with large reserves of lithium, nickel, and other rare minerals discovered.
He noted that Korea has the technology, expressing belief that both countries can explore these resources together, not exporting them in raw form but adding value before exporting them to Korea and other markets.
President Mahama disclosed that both countries signed three strategic agreements on maritime security, climate change cooperation, and digital technology during the bilateral talks.
He stated that one of the memoranda focuses on maritime safety and cooperation, noting that piracy in the Gulf of Guinea is a major concern for both countries.
The President explained that Korea has long been a strong seafaring nation, and issues of maritime security are important to both Ghana and Korea.
He stated that Africa has established the African Continental Free Trade Area, a historic agreement that opens up a market of about 1.4 billion people, with the Secretariat based in Accra, Ghana.
President Mahama explained that Ghana’s goal is to position the country as a hub for production and exports to the rest of Africa.
He disclosed that Ghana has emerged from a recent financial crisis, successfully restructured its debt, and the economy is now back on track.
The President stated that inflation is declining, the currency has strengthened, and Ghana is meeting its debt obligations, expressing anticipation for accessing the Economic Development Cooperation Fund once again.
President Mahama stated that Ghana looks forward to signing a visa waiver agreement for diplomatic and official passport holders, which will make exchanges between the two countries much easier.
He noted that the relationship between Ghana and Korea is defined not by the distance between the two countries but by the similarity of values they share.
The President stated that both countries share a similar historical background, deep respect for democracy, and strong commitment to human rights.
He explained that because of these shared values, it has been easy to collaborate on multilateral matters, with Ghana and Korea often finding themselves taking similar positions on many issues at the United Nations and other international forums.
President Mahama expressed pride in Ghana’s Ambassador to Korea, Kojo Choi, who embodies the values of both Ghana and Korea.
He stated that the peoples of both countries are increasingly connected culturally, revealing that before he left Ghana, someone asked him to bring back kimchi, and young people, including his own children, listen to K-pop music.
The President noted that these cultural connections bring the peoples closer together.
He stated that both countries look forward to supporting each other in efforts to reform the United Nations in order to expand its representation.
Richard Aniagyei, ISD
