Vice President Francia Elena Márquez Mina of Colombia, has said that Ghana holds a special place in her country’s vision to reconnect with the world through strategic trade partnerships. 

She said this was because of the historical and cultural ties between the two countries. 

She said Colombia sought to strengthen trade relations with Ghana through enhanced port cooperation to improve livelihoods in both countries. 

The Colombian Vice President made the remarks when she led a high-level business delegation to the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), to explore investment opportunities and deepen bilateral trade relations between Colombia and Ghana. 

The visit was aimed at identifying areas of mutual business interest, while strengthening economic and commercial ties between the two countries. 

Vice President Márquez Mina stressed the critical role ports played in the economic development of nations, noting the need for stronger collaboration between ports in Colombia and Ghana to drive growth and shared prosperity. 

She disclosed that Colombia was interested in exporting goods to Ghana and establishing a direct maritime route between the two countries, noting that such a route was geographically feasible through one of Colombia’s two major ports. 

She also proposed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the ports of Colombia and Ghana to formalise cooperation. 

Additionally, she announced that Colombia would host an African Trade Forum in March 2026 and formally invited the GPHA to participate. 

The Colombian Vice President emphasised the importance of transforming historical maritime routes once associated with the transatlantic slave trade, into modern routes of trade, partnership, and mutual development. 

The delegation was received on behalf of the Director-General of the GPHA by Mr Tebon Zumah, the Director of the Port of Tema, together with the managing officials of the Authority. 

Mr Zumah, in his remarks, reaffirmed that international trade was impossible without efficient port infrastructure and welcomed the proposal for closer collaboration between the ports of the two countries. 

He expressed support for exchange programmes between Ghanaian ports and sister ports in Colombia, to facilitate knowledge sharing and capacity building. 

Mr Zumah also highlighted Ghana’s strategic position as a gateway to landlocked countries, including Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, noting that Colombia could leverage Ghana’s ports to access these markets. 

He further mentioned opportunities for tourism development through the introduction of passenger vessel services. 

As part of the visit, the Vice President and her delegation toured key facilities at the Port of Tema, including the Meridian Port Services (MPS) Terminal Three and the Fruit Terminal, where they observed ongoing port operations.