Ghana and Colombia have signed a maritime trade agreement establishing a direct shipping corridor between the Port of Tema and the Port of Cartagena, with a business matchmaking forum held alongside the signing generating USD 16 million in commercial transactions between African and Latin American companies.
The agreement was signed by Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, at the closing ceremony of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) Africa High Level Forum in Bogotá, the first structured high-level engagement between CELAC and African countries, which brought together heads of state, ministers and business leaders from 18 to 21 March 2026.
The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) conducted a formal inspection of the Port of Cartagena’s facilities on the sidelines of the forum, underscoring the operational intent behind the agreement and the two countries’ commitment to moving from diplomatic language to logistics reality.
The new route eliminates the transshipment layovers that currently add cost and time to cargo moving between West Africa and the South American Atlantic coast. The shipping corridor is designed to streamline trade by improving logistics, reducing transit time, and opening new business opportunities for exporters and importers on both sides of the Atlantic.
Colombia’s Vice President Francia Elena Márquez Mina, the first person of Afro-Colombian descent to hold the office, co-signed the agreement on Colombia’s behalf. Ablakwa acknowledged her role directly, saying: “It is most inspiring to see how the Atlantic Ocean corridor linking our two countries, which previously represented the horror of slavery and a mass grave, is now being deliberately transformed into a voyage of opportunity, job creation and economic empowerment.”
The forum concluded with the adoption of the Bogotá Declaration, and Ghana used the platform to formally call for slavery to be recognised as a crime against humanity, a position aligned with the country’s ongoing engagement in global reparations discussions.
The Tema-Cartagena maritime link is expected to open new export markets, increase volumes, and reinforce Ghana’s ambition to serve as a key trade hub in West Africa, while supporting broader South-South cooperation objectives.
