President Lee Jae Myung met with Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama in Seoul, and the two leaders signed a series of agreements including three memorandums of understanding (MOUs) on climate cooperation, maritime safety and security, and collaboration in technology, digital development, and innovation, following their summit.
Among the key agreements, the two countries pledged to work together on climate change initiatives and related technology development, and plan to set up a joint committee to coordinate their efforts.
This includes the use of Article 6 of the Paris climate accord, which allows countries to trade internationally recognized carbon reduction credits through voluntary cooperation. South Korean officials said the mechanism could help both countries meet their nationally determined contributions for greenhouse gas reductions.
South Korea's Coast Guard and Ghana's Navy also agreed to cooperate on maritime safety and security through expanded personnel exchanges including educational training programs and seminars, as well as information sharing on maritime crimes such as piracy, arms trafficking, and drug smuggling. The two sides also agreed to collaborate on search and rescue operations for ships, aircraft, and people in distress at sea.
Officials said the cooperation could help improve safety in the Gulf of Guinea region while strengthening protection for South Korean citizens and vessels operating in the area.
The two leaders also agreed to deepen collaboration in technology, digital development and innovation with plans to support vocational training for young people, expand education in artificial intelligence (AI) and STEM fields — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — and improve digital accessibility.
Mahama's visit marks the first visit by an African head of state since Lee took office in June last year. It is also the first visit by a Ghanaian president to South Korea in about two years, following the Korea-Africa Summit in 2024.
Ahead of the visit, Cheong Wa Dae said it had placed specially produced "Ghana chocolate" as a gesture of warm welcome. The chocolate was made using cocoa beans sourced primarily from Ghana.
Presidential spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung said the packaging featured both countries' national flags and Mahama's name.
Kang recalled that Lee once drew encouragement from a bar of the same chocolate brand given to him by a child during a hunger strike in September 2023, when he was serving as leader of the opposition party.
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