Colombia has expressed strong interest in establishing a direct maritime route with Ghana as part of a broader push to deepen trade, investment and logistics cooperation between West Africa and Latin America.
Speaking during an official visit to the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) on Friday, Colombia’s Vice President, Francia Elena Márquez Mina, said the proposed route is geographically viable through one of Colombia’s two major ports and could significantly enhance commercial exchanges between the two regions.
As part of the initiative, Vice President Márquez Mina proposed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ports in Colombia and Ghana to formalise collaboration in port development, logistics efficiency and maritime trade facilitation.
She led a high-level Colombian business delegation to the Port of Tema, where they were received on behalf of the GPHA Director-General by Tebon Zumah, Director of the Port of Tema, along with other senior management officials.
The visit focused on identifying areas of mutual business interest and strengthening bilateral economic ties. Vice President Márquez Mina underscored the strategic importance of ports to national development and called for closer institutional cooperation to drive growth and shared prosperity.
“Colombia is pursuing a broader vision of reconnecting with the global economy through strategic trade partnerships,” she said, adding that Ghana holds a special place in that vision due to long-standing historical and cultural links between Africa and Latin America.
She noted that enhanced port cooperation would help expand trade volumes, improve logistics performance and create economic opportunities with positive impacts on livelihoods in both countries. The Vice President also announced that Colombia will host an African Trade Forum in March 2026, formally inviting the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority to participate.
In a symbolic gesture, Vice President Márquez Mina emphasised the importance of transforming historical maritime routes—once associated with the transatlantic slave trade—into modern corridors for trade, partnership and mutual development.
Ghana Welcomes Proposed Port Partnership
Responding to the proposal, Port of Tema Director Tebon Zumah welcomed the initiative and highlighted the critical role of efficient port infrastructure in supporting international trade.
He expressed support for exchange programmes between Ghanaian ports and their Colombian counterparts, describing them as vital for knowledge sharing, skills transfer and capacity building.
Mr. Zumah also pointed to Ghana’s strategic position as a maritime gateway to landlocked countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, noting that Colombian businesses could use Ghanaian ports to access broader West African markets. He further highlighted opportunities for tourism development, including the potential introduction of passenger vessel services between the two countries.
As part of the visit, Vice President Márquez Mina and her delegation toured key facilities at the Port of Tema, including Meridian Port Services Terminal 3 and the Fruit Terminal, where they observed ongoing operations and infrastructure expansion aimed at strengthening Ghana’s role as a regional maritime hub.
