Fidelity Bank Ghana has positioned itself as the financial anchor for a new era of South-South cooperation, following a high-level strategic dialogue with Francia Elena Márquez Mina, Vice President of Colombia, at the Bank’s Headquarters in Accra.
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 across both countries.
Speaking on the outcome of the engagement, Atta Yeboah Gyan, Deputy Managing Director for Operations and Support Functions at Fidelity Bank, described the meeting as a catalyst for deeper economic cooperation.
“This was largely a facilitating role for us,” he said. “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.
“The meeting was a huge success because we identified clear sectors where further collaboration is needed.”
Key areas identified for collaboration included agribusiness and agri-processing, industrial machinery, and joint financing structures between local banks in Ghana and Colombia.
Mr Gyan noted that similarities between the two economies create opportunities for South-South cooperation, particularly in adapting machinery and processing technologies suited to local conditions.
“There should be no reason why governments from Colombia and Ghana cannot empower local banks to finance development, instead of relying solely on European or American banks,” 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.”
Addressing the gathering, Vice President Francia Márquez Mina reaffirmed Colombia’s commitment to strengthening bilateral relations through private-sector engagement and cultural connection.
She underscored the importance of restoring historic trade routes as channels for dignity, opportunity, and shared prosperity.
“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.”
She also highlighted Colombia’s focus on energy transition, tourism, technology, pharmaceuticals, and food production, inviting Ghanaian entrepreneurs to explore investment opportunities.
“The opportunities to do business between our nations are very great,” she said. “We want Ghana to be the gateway to Colombia, and for Colombia to be considered the gateway to Latin America.”
The Colombian Deputy Minister for Trade, Tito Yepes, expressed strong optimism about the partnership, describing the opportunities as “enormous.”
He highlighted Colombia’s broader Africa strategy and the symbolic importance of strengthening ties with Ghana.
“We are starting here with Fidelity,” Mr Yepes declared. “Fidelity has proposed facilitating engagement between the two private sectors to enable collaboration. We see Ghana as a gateway to West Africa because our sectors are complementary.
“Ghana has inputs we need, especially in agriculture and cosmetics, while Colombia has machinery and technology adapted to similar economic realities. This is not theory; we are already taking samples and exploring purchases.”
Mr Yepes also outlined ambitions to improve connectivity between the two countries, including maritime and air links, to reduce travel and trade barriers.
“Why not have a maritime route between Cartagena and Accra, or a direct flight from Bogotá to Accra,” he said. “Instead of taking 40 hours through Europe, we can do this in 12 hours.”
The engagement marks a significant step in advancing 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.
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