President Lee Jae Myung and Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama agreed on the 11th to expand cooperation in areas such as maritime security, responses to climate change, and the digital sector. President Mahama is the first African leader to visit since President Lee took office, and President Lee presented him with specially made ‘Ghana Chocolate’.

In his opening remarks at the summit with President Mahama held at the main building of the Blue House that day, President Lee said, “Korea and Ghana are very old friends, and next year will mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations,” adding, “In particular, the Republic of Korea and Ghana have much in common in that they overcame the twists and turns of colonial rule and dictatorship to establish themselves as models of democracy.” The Ghanaian president’s visit comes about two years after the 2024 Korea-Africa summit.

President Mahama also said in his opening statement, “The two countries are friendly nations that share values based on similar democracies and similar historical experiences,” and added, “Because we are countries that share values, I believe several foundations have been laid for us to cooperate and coordinate even more on the multilateral stage.”

President Mahama said, “As Korea is a maritime nation, I understand there are significant concerns regarding piracy,” adding, “The MOU on maritime security that we are signing today is very meaningful in this respect.” He then proposed concluding a joint framework to respond to pirates operating in the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa. In 2018, South Korean fishing vessels were repeatedly hijacked by pirate groups in waters near Ghana.

Blue House spokesperson Kang Yu-Jeong said in a written briefing that, at this summit, the two leaders agreed to cooperate for tangible outcomes that the peoples of both countries can feel across a range of areas, including the economy, security, agriculture, and critical minerals. The two countries also signed three MOUs on cooperation on climate change, maritime security, and technology, digital, and innovation development.

President Lee presented the specially made ‘Ghana Chocolate’ at the lodging of President Mahama, who arrived in Korea the previous day. The red chocolate wrapper featured both countries’ flags and President Mahama’s name. Spokesperson Kang explained, “More than 80% of the cacao beans used in this chocolate are sourced from Ghana.” The Blue House said that President Lee’s experience of receiving Ghana Chocolate from a child during his hunger strike as leader of the Democratic Party in September 2023 also factored into the choice of gift.

At the summit that day, President Lee mentioned the chocolate gift, saying, “I hope it suited your taste,” and President Mahama responded, “It was very good.” President Mahama said, “All of our delegation enjoyed the chocolate,” and added, “I also brought some chocolate from Ghana, and I hope this will be a time for the two countries to share their sweetness with each other.” He also said, “Someone asked me to buy some kimchi in Korea,” adding, “Many young people, including my children, like K-pop music very much.”

President Lee also presented President Mahama with Samsung Electronics’ ‘Galaxy 26 Ultra’ smartphone and the ‘Sugun Joryeondo’ minhwa. The Blue House said, “The smartphone gift carries the message that Korea will be a partner in the manufacturing promotion and industrial advancement goals pursued by President Mahama,” and added, “The ‘Sugun Joryeondo’ is a gift that embodies the two countries’ will to cooperate on maritime security.”