Bridgetown and Tema sign agreement establishing sister-port relationship

Ghana and Barbados have signed an agreement establishing a sister-port relationship between the cities of Tema and Bridgetown, to facilitate the expansion of trade between the two countries.

The agreement will focus especially on trade transiting through Barbados from Ghana and onward to other Caribbean and Latin America destination ports.

The agreement was signed on Friday, November 15, 2019, at Jubilee House, when the Prime Minister of Barbados, Her Excellency Mia Mottley, paid a courtesy call on the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, as part of her official visit to Ghana.

The Port of Bridgetown and the Port of Tema currently enjoy link by trade with two of the main shipping lines operating at the Port of Tema, which are CGM and CMA.

"The intended scope of the sister port agreement is to facilitate the exchange of commercial, technological and operational information in seeking to improve the visibility, trade and relationship between the two ports to the mutual benefit of Tema and Bridgetown," a report by Ghana's Presidency said.

"Indeed, substantial trade opportunities exist between the Port of Bridgetown and the Port of Tema, including, but not limited to Barbados’ exports of rum, artificial parts of the body and cement, as well as expanded export opportunities for Ghana, with Barbados, due to its proximity, serving as a transshipment point for goods exported to Latin American countries".