In an emotional reflection shared after the event, Ambassador Choi recounted how his life was transformed through the opportunities, mentorship, and education he received in Ghana, the country he now proudly represents abroad.

In a heartfelt message, Ambassador Choi expressed deep gratitude to Ghana, crediting the nation for shaping his identity and future.

“Ghana raised me. Ghana educated me. Ghana shaped me,” he wrote in a Facebook post, describing his appointment as a symbolic homecoming that validated his long-standing connection to the country.

He shared that his educational foundation was laid at the SOS College, established by Mrs. Margaret Nkrumah, whose decision to award him a full scholarship through the SOS Foundation proved pivotal.

Despite initially ranking outside the final admission list, Mrs. Nkrumah’s faith in his potential opened the door for him to complete the rigorous Cambridge IGCSE and International Baccalaureate Diploma, setting him on a lifelong path of learning and service.

Choi later pursued higher education at the University of Ghana, where he faced severe financial challenges as an international student.

He recalled struggling each semester to pay tuition fees, often fearing he would be forced to drop out.

However, the intervention of the then-Registrar, Mr. Teddy Konu, ensured he could continue his studies.

“He would call the finance office so I could pay only a small portion of the fees and continue my studies until I could gather more,” Choi recounted. “Thanks to his help and the little-by-little persistence, I was able to graduate from Legon.”

That experience, he said, marked a turning point in his life. “I made a decision in my heart: I will stay in Ghana. I will become one with this nation and live my life here,” he reflected, describing it as the moment he truly embraced Ghana as home.

At his commissioning ceremony, Ambassador Choi was visibly emotional as he reflected on his journey from a struggling student to a national representative.

Those who had shaped his path, including Mrs. Margaret Nkrumah and Mr. Teddy Konu — stood in for his biological parents, who could not attend.

Also present were long-time friends and professional colleagues who have been part of his story for over two decades.

Choi described his appointment by the President as a recognition of his lifelong bond with Ghana.

“It is as if he fully understood the story of my life, that Ghana had adopted me, educated me, and raised me as her own,” he said. “Knowing this, he chose to appoint me to return to the land of my birth, Korea, as Ghana’s Ambassador.”

Overcome with emotion during his Vote of Allegiance, he said, “I had to fight back tears as I uttered the words, realizing how far the journey had been from a struggling student to a servant of Ghana entrusted with the responsibility of representing the nation abroad.”

As he begins his diplomatic mission in South Korea, Ambassador Kojo Choi says his goal is to strengthen relations between the two countries not only in trade and diplomacy but also in education, culture, and shared values.

He carries with him, he said, the identity of “a son of Ghana who has been nurtured by her grace,” determined to serve in a way that honours the country and inspires generations to come.

Source: Adomonline

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This debate centers primarily on two foundational principles of nationality jurisprudence: jus soli (citizenship by place of birth) and jus sanguinis (citizenship by descent).

The prevailing argument among segments of the Ghanaian populace posits that Mr. Choi does not qualify as a Ghanaian by either criterion—he was not born on Ghanaian soil (jus soli) and does not trace his ancestry to Ghanaian lineage (jus sanguinis).

These contentions prompt a pertinent legal and normative inquiry: Upon what constitutional and statutory grounds does Mr. Choi derive his Ghanaian citizenship and the attendant civic and political rights?

To interrogate this issue thoroughly, it is imperative to contextualize Mr. Choi’s citizenship within the framework of Ghana’s 1992 Fourth Republican Constitution.

Chapter Three of the constitution delineates the modalities of acquiring Ghanaian citizenship through birth, descent, registration, and naturalization.

Furthermore, the Constitution permits the renunciation and revocation of citizenship and guarantees full civic and political rights to all recognized citizens, irrespective of the mode of acquisition.

Complementing the Constitution is the Citizenship Act, 2000 (Act 591), which operationalizes and elaborates the constitutional provisions governing nationality.

Central to the controversy surrounding Ambassador-designate Choi is the normative question of dual allegiance and national loyalty.

Does Mr. Choi’s naturalization as a Ghanaian citizen— accompanied by a formal renunciation of his Korean nationality—constitute a sufficient basis for absolute fidelity to Ghana’s national interests, particularly in scenarios where such interests may be in tension or conflict with those of his country of birth?

Can his oath of allegiance to the Republic of Ghana be presumed inviolable and unreserved?

Legally, Mr. Choi satisfies all constitutional and statutory prerequisites for Ghanaian citizenship and thus eligibility for diplomatic appointment.

His prior service as Ghana’s Deputy Head of Mission during the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, Republic of Korea, alongside over three decades of socio-economic contributions within Ghana, substantiates his de facto
integration and national commitment.

Moreover, Mr. Choi has invoked the ideological ethos of Pan-Africanism in asserting his Ghanaian identity, citing Kwame Nkrumah’s iconic declaration: “I am not African because I was born in Africa, but because Africa was born in me.”

He reinforces this by affirming, “Ghana may not be my birthplace, but it is my true home… I am proud to be called Ghanaian.” Ghana has historically positioned itself as a bastion of Pan-African inclusivity and cosmopolitan citizenship.

In an era characterized by accelerating globalization, transnational identities, and
the erosion of ethnonational exclusivity, the Mahama administration’s nomination of
Ambassador-designate Choi underscores a progressive commitment to meritocratic and
inclusive governance.

Congratulations, Ambassador Choi. The burden of proof now lies in your diplomatic service.

Long live the Republic of Ghana.
Long live Ghana-Korea relations.
Thank you for reading

Ohene Opoku Agyemang, PhD

Contact +8613025167627
Email: oopoku56@gmail.com