Ghana and Barbados on Friday, November 15, 2019, signed an agreement establishing a sister-port relationship between the two cities to facilitate the expansion of trade between the two countries, especially trade transiting through Barbados from Ghana and onward to other Caribbean and Latin America destination ports.

The agreement was signed on Friday, 15th November, 2019, at Jubilee House, when the Prime Minister of Barbados, Her Excellency Mia Mottley, paid a courtesy call on the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, as part of her official visit to Ghana.  

With the Port of Bridgetown pursuing its vision to become the most innovative and green maritime hub in the world by 2030, and the Tema Port seeking to pursue its vision to be the leading trade and logistics hub in West Africa, the signing of the agreement comes at a most opportune moment.

Thus far, the Port of Bridgetown has been recognized by the Caribbean Shipping Association, for its efficiency and improvements, receiving the title “Multipurpose Port of the Year,” for the fifth time in 2018.

The Tema Port has also increased its berthing capacity, and currently has a one stop revenue centre to hub all agencies tasked with collection of port payments. There are also upgrades to port automation, with the port going paperless in 2017, in addition to possessing an automated security and gate access system and a new Terminal Operating System.

The intended scope of the sister port agreement is to facilitate the exchange of commercial, technological and operational information in seeking to improve the visibility, trade and relationship between the two ports to the mutual benefit of Tema and Bridgetown.

The Port of Bridgetown and the Port of Tema currently enjoy link by trade with two of the main shipping lines operating at the Port of Tema, which are CGM and CMA.

Indeed, substantial trade opportunities exist between the Port of Bridgetown and the Port of Tema, including, but not limited to Barbados’ exports of rum, artificial parts of the body and cement, as well as expanded export opportunities for Ghana, with Barbados, due to its proximity, serving as a transshipment point for goods exported to Latin American countries.