Kojo Choi, Ghana’s Ambassador-Designate to South Korea, has revealed he scored an aggregate 5 in Asnati Twi in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
According to Kojo Choi, his two fully Ghanaian friends, on the other hand, had six and seven in Ashanti Twi during the BECE.
Kojo Choi, speaking on Channel One TV’s Face to Face with Umaru Sanda Amadu, shared his personal academic experience.
Mr Choi revealed he attended a school in Tema called SOS Hermann Gmeiner International School and later joined the University of Ghana to pursue his university studies.
He recounted, “I couldn’t speak Twi when I first arrived in Ghana. I attended SOS Junior High School in Tema, and that’s where I learnt it. I had an aggregate 5 in Ashanti Twi for BECE, while my Ghanaian friend, who is fully Ghanaian, had six, and another had seven. I had a pass mark, but it’s not easy to get that”.
He also explained that his early education at SOS College, a boarding school, restricted students to speaking only English, French, or Swedish.
“I was privileged to pick pidgin language as my third language,” he recalled.
According to him his his exposure to various cultures across Ghana also shaped his linguistic capabilities.
“I used to go to the Upper East Region when I was very young, and because they speak just the Frafra language, I can speak a little,” he noted.
He added that he is fluent in Twi and conversant in Frafra and also stressed his Ghanaian roots.
Kojo Choi, in the interview, also stressed that he is a full Ghanaian citizen and holds only a Ghanaian passport.
He revealed that he was born to Korean parents, but he moved to Ghana at the age of 14 and naturalised as a Ghanaian in 1999.
Kojo Choi affirmed, “I am a full Ghanaian; I don’t hold any other passport apart from the Ghanaian passport. This is my home”.
He further revealed he has never been part of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), adding that he knows and has a lot of connections within the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Kojo Choi, a co-founder of PaySwitch, also revealed his company was launched by Bawumia due to his strong interest in digitalisation.
“I have never been political. I know a lot of people in the NPP. For example, our company PaySwitch was launched by Dr. Bawumia because he is very interested in digitalisation—not for political reasons,” he explained.
He also narrated how Rebecca Akufo-Addo attended his art gallery due to her passion for art.
According to him, he has never lobbied or sponsored any political cause and has always been a quiet entrepreneur.
Meanwhile, Kojo Choi’s appointment by President John Dramani Mahama to serve as Ghana Ambassador-Designate to South Korea stirred controversy.
Some Ghanaians quizzed the President on why someone of Korean descent was chosen to represent Ghana in South Korea.
However, Kojo Choi fortified his selection, emphasising that he has spent most of his life in Ghana and voluntarily acquired Ghanaian citizenship.
His appointment is historical, as Choi is the first individual of Korean descent to hold such a diplomatic post in Ghana’s Fourth Republic.
Watch the video below:
Watch Kojo Choi, Ghana’s Ambassador-Designate to South Korea, describe himself fluently in Twi on #FacetoFace.
— CITI FM 97.3 (@Citi973) August 12, 2025
📺 Watch here: https://t.co/pcxbXyQ4Ub#CitiNewsroom pic.twitter.com/pfdfXY15Xu