Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang welcomed Colombia’s vice president, Francia Elena Márquez Mina, to Accra on Thursday, her second visit since taking office and an indication of the two countries’ growing collaboration.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang welcomed Her Excellency Márquez Mina, describing the visit as a reaffirmation of “deep, longstanding, and mutually respectful relations” based on shared values and objectives.
The vice president praised Márquez Mina’s record as a champion of racial equity, human dignity, and reparative justice, all of which are widely supported throughout Latin America and elsewhere.
She also pointed out a connection between Ghana’s significant participation in international conversations about restorative justice and Colombia’s attempts to obtain compensation for communities impacted by slavery and systematic marginalisation.
“Colombia’s commitment to advancing reparations strongly aligns with Ghana’s leadership in this vital discourse,” stated Vice President Opoku-Agyemang.
Regarding the economy, the vice president of Ghana emphasised the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as a key entry point for Colombian companies looking to reach Africa’s developing 1.3 billion-person single market.
She stated, “Ghana stands ready to serve as Colombia’s natural entry point into this vast market,” citing trade investment, digital innovation, agriculture, and climate resilience as potential areas of cooperation. She pointed out that realising this potential would require better air and maritime connectivity between the two nations.
The meeting ended with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Ghana’s Foreign Service Institute and Colombia’s Diplomatic Academy, formalising institutional exchanges and scholarly collaboration between the two nations’ diplomatic training organisations.
Both nations praised their partnership as an example of successful South-South cooperation and a developing-nation partnership that eschews conventional North-South development frameworks.
Source: newsthemegh.com