Fidelity Bank Ghana has hosted a high-level strategic dialogue with the Vice President of the Republic of Colombia, Ms Francia Elena Márquez Mina, at the Bank’s headquarters in Accra, as part of efforts to deepen direct trade relations between the two countries.
The engagement brought together Colombian business leaders, Ghanaian entrepreneurs and representatives of the financial sector to explore opportunities for job creation, technology transfer and sustainable economic growth.
A release copied to the Ghana News Agency said Mr Atta Yeboah Gyan, Deputy Managing Director for Operations and Support Functions at Fidelity Bank, described the meeting as a major step towards strengthening economic cooperation.
“We brought together business owners from Ghana, who are our clients, and the Colombian business delegation to explore areas where collaboration and mutual support are possible,” Mr Gyan said.
He said the dialogue identified priority sectors for cooperation, including agribusiness and agri-processing, industrial machinery and joint financing arrangements between Ghanaian and Colombian banks.
“The meeting was a huge success because we identified clear sectors where further collaboration is needed,” he said.
Mr Gyan noted that the structural similarities between the two economies presented strong opportunities for South-South cooperation, particularly in adapting machinery and processing technologies to local conditions.
He emphasised the need for governments in Ghana and Colombia to empower local financial institutions to drive development financing, rather than relying largely on European or American banks.
“There should be no reason why governments from Colombia and Ghana cannot empower local banks to finance development,” he said.
“We have the capacity here in Ghana, and we see opportunities to syndicate with Colombian banks to finance projects that advance our economies,” Mr Gyan added.
Vice President Márquez Mina reaffirmed Colombia’s commitment to strengthening bilateral relations through private sector engagement, cultural ties and trade.
She underscored the importance of reviving historic trade routes as channels for dignity, opportunity and shared prosperity between Africa and Latin America.
“We are here to encourage business people and entrepreneurs to see mutual opportunities in the exchange of goods and services,” she said.
“Colombia wants to serve as a bridge, not only to our country, but to Latin America and the Caribbean, just as we see Ghana as our gateway to Africa,” the Vice President added.
She highlighted Colombia’s strategic focus on energy transition, tourism, technology, pharmaceuticals and food production, and invited Ghanaian entrepreneurs to explore investment opportunities in those sectors.
Mr Tito Yepes, Colombia’s Deputy Minister for Trade, highlighted his country’s broader Africa strategy and the central role Ghana played within it.
He said Fidelity Bank’s proposal to facilitate private sector engagement aligned with Colombia’s goal of building practical, results-oriented partnerships with African economies.
“Fidelity has proposed facilitating engagement between the two private sectors to enable collaboration,” Mr Yepes said.
“We see Ghana as a gateway to West Africa because our sectors are complementary,” he added.
Mr Yepes explained that while Ghana had agricultural and cosmetic inputs of interest to Colombia, his country offered machinery and technology suited to similar economic realities.
“This is not theory; we are already taking samples and exploring purchases,” he said.
He also outlined plans to improve maritime and air connectivity between Ghana and Colombia to reduce travel time and trade barriers.
The engagement formed part of broader efforts to advance Ghana–Colombia private sector cooperation, with Fidelity Bank positioned as a key enabler of trade finance, investment partnerships and long-term economic collaboration between the two regions.
