Ghana has taken another step towards strengthening its trade and maritime cooperation with the United States, following a working visit to the Port of Philadelphia by Ambassador to the US, Victor Emmanuel Smith, and a high-level delegation that included the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts.

The visit formed part of Ghana’s broader economic diplomacy engagements aimed at deepening bilateral trade relations, enhancing port collaboration, and unlocking new opportunities within the maritime and logistics space.

During the visit, the delegation was taken through a guided tour of the port and engaged in detailed presentations on its operations, logistics infrastructure, container handling capacity, major import commodities, and its role in supporting regional and international trade.

The engagements offered insights into how large-scale ports drive supply chains, industrial growth, and export competitiveness.

Ambassador Smith underscored the critical role ports play in facilitating global commerce, particularly for export-driven economies such as Ghana.

He highlighted Ghana’s key export products, including cocoa and cocoa-derived goods, noting that efficient port systems remain essential to expanding market access, improving value addition, and enhancing competitiveness.

He said strengthened collaboration and knowledge-sharing between ports could support Ghana’s efforts to modernise its logistics ecosystem and grow its export base.

The Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, also used the visit to reaffirm Ghana’s commitment to developing its blue economy as a pillar of sustainable growth.

She described the maritime sector as a vital source of job creation, economic diversification, and long-term development.

According to her, Ghana is keen to explore opportunities across maritime tourism, fisheries, coastal development, port services, and other marine-related industries, adding that lessons from established ports such as Philadelphia could help Ghana harness its maritime assets while ensuring environmental sustainability.

The visit concluded with a shared commitment to sustain dialogue and explore practical areas of collaboration in trade, logistics, tourism, and maritime development, as Ghana continues to position itself as a competitive player in global trade.