Ghana is on the verge of ratifying an application to join countries of the Pacific Alliance as an observer, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia has disclosed.

According to Dr. Bawumua, the decision has been approved and will soon be ferried to parliament for ratification.

Addressing the Vice President of the Republic of Colombia, Franca Elena Marquez Mina during her first official visit to the country, together with a delegation, Dr. Bawumia highlighted efforts to strengthen the economic, investment and cultural cooperation between the two countries.

He said Ghana and Colombia have had long-standing relations, with the latter opening an embassy in Ghana since 2013.

Ghana, he also said, is considering establishing an embassy in Colombia to strengthen the bond between the two countries.

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia said her selection as the first Afro-Colombian female Vice President is a historic achievement for all Afro-Colombians and Africans.

While congratulating the people of Columbia for their country’s recent independence anniversary celebrations, he added that Ghana remains the only host to the diplomatic missions of the countries of the Pacific Alliance in West Africa. These include Peru, Mexico, Chile and Colombia.

The Vice President also expressed appreciation to the people of Colombia for their efforts to further strengthen cooperation in the area of education, especially teaching the Spanish language to Ghanaian diplomats.

The Vice President touted the peaceful and stable political and democratic atmosphere in the country.

He noted that Ghana is the most peaceful country in the West African sub-region, and the second most peaceful country in Africa.

On the economic front, he said Ghana is the ‘Gateway to Africa’ as it also hosts the secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

“We want to use this as the basis to strengthen economic and investment relations between Ghana and Colombia,” he iterated.

The country’s tourism, he said, recognises the role of the diaspora, and for this reason has initiated and celebrated several programmes that bring the diaspora closer to the country.

He was hopeful that Afro-Colombians will take advantage of this relationship to join.

Dr. Bawumia noted that Colombia has one of the fastest-growing information technology industries in the world, and against this background said Ghana is also trying to use digital technology to help the vulnerable and poor. For this reason, he said Ghana will take advantage of learning more about the application of digital technology from Colombia.

The Vice President of Colombia is on a two-day visit to the country, which will take her to Elmina and Cape Coast castles on a guided tour.

She will also sign a bilateral agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration and hold discussions with the Colombian community in Ghana, as well as interact with Ghanaian businessmen/women and investors in Accra.