Colombia, Ghana to establish direct maritime route to boost trade ties

The Vice President of Colombia, H.E. Francia Elena Márquez Mina, led a high-level business delegation to the Port of Tema to formalize maritime and trade cooperation between Colombia and the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA).

The visit, part of a broader three-day state tour to deepen South-South collaboration, saw the Colombian delegation received by Tebon Zumah, the Acting Director of the Port of Tema. The discussions signaled a shift from purely diplomatic ties toward tangible infrastructure and logistics partnerships.

A central theme of the summit was the proposal for a direct maritime route connecting Colombia’s major ports to Ghana. Currently, cargo between the two regions often undergoes lengthy transshipments through Europe or North America.

"We are here to transform historical maritime routes—once associated with the transatlantic slave trade—into modern channels of prosperity, partnership, and mutual development," Vice President Márquez Mina stated during the engagement.

As per the news reports, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was also proposed by her for formal cooperation between the ports of Colombia and Ghana.

Invitation to the 2026 African trade forum
Colombia's Vision 2030 strategy to reconnect with the African continent, Vice President Márquez Mina formally invited GPHA leadership to participate in the African Trade Forum, which Colombia is set to host in March 2026.

The visit concluded with an extensive tour of the Port of Tema’s flagship facilities. The delegation visited MPS Terminal 3, one of the most technologically advanced container terminals in Africa, and the Fruit Terminal, where they observed handling operations for perishables, a sector where both countries share significant export interests.