The vice president, Francia Márquez, has begun her first high-level visit to the African continent. During her tour, she will visit South Africa, Kenya and Ethiopia.
The strategic agenda that includes meetings with counterparts, directors of international entities, African leaders from different sectors and cultural exchange events.
The vice president’s visit is the result of the Africa 2022-2026 strategy, which seeks an unprecedented rapprochement with the African continent through deepening relations and increasing its presence with the opening of new embassies, seeking deeper relations with the different regions of this continent, recognizing their diversity and potential at an economic, cultural and social level.
The National Government of Colombia considers the strengthening of relations with the African continent and the African Union as a priority. The President of the Republic, Gustavo Petro, assigned Vice President Francia Márquez Mina the mission of inter-institutional and intersectoral coordination of the tasks of the National Government in relations with the Afro-descendant movement at the international level and to collaborate with the tasks and responsibilities.
During her visit, the vice president will focus on consolidating diplomatic, commercial, and cultural relations with the African continent, beginning with these three nations, but with a view to creating an expanded strategy that strengthens the economies of the Greater Caribbean. South-South Cooperation represents the possibility of exploring new markets and strengthening new lines of the economy.
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The vice president’s agenda includes the exploration of new tourist routes through direct commercial flights from Colombia to African countries, the opening of new Colombian embassies in African nations and vice versa to continue diplomatic relations, agreements with African chambers of commerce in multiple commercial sectors, and alliances with organizations and entities from the culture sector to promote exchanges and new scenarios for artists from both continents.
May 11-13, 2023: South Africa:
- Meeting with the Vice President of South Africa and the Freedom Park protocol ceremony with the Vice President of South Africa.
- Pan-African Parliament Meeting.
- Opening remarks: Round table on the business of art and culture – JOHANNESBURG.
- Opening Remarks: Economic and Commercial Forum.
- Meeting Apartheid Museum. Accompany the delegation of academics and social leaders.
- Tour in Soweto (Nelson Mandela House, Hector Pieterson Memorial).
- Cultural Event in Constitution Hill: Round Table with Historians and Academic Experts: Symbolic Reparation and Places of Memory – ConHill museum guided tour – signing of agreements presence of civil society and Ford Foundation.
May 14-17, 2023: Kenya
- First Political Consultations between Colombia and Kenya.
- Joint press conference with the vice president of Kenya.
- Commercial Forum Colombia – Kenya – Strategic Pitch – Business Environment Kenya – East Africa.
- Meeting and tree planting with Wanjira Mathai, Regional Director for Africa of the World Resources Institute and the Green Belt Movement MIPAD working breakfast.
- Working lunch with the ambassadors of the countries where Colombia is present – Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, DRC, Brazzaville, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania, Senegal, Angola, South Africa, the Saharawi Arab Republic, Algeria, Nigeria.
- High-level dialogue women leaders united nations office in Nairobi – Vice President of the Republic of Colombia France Elena Márquez – UNON Director General Zainab Hawa Bangura – UN-Habitat Executive Director Maimunah Mohd Sharif – UNEP Deputy Executive Director Elizabeth Maruma Mrema – Possible moderator Minister of Kenya Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, Hon. Soipan Tuya CBS Voices from the Global South in the Multilateral Environmental System.
- Courtesy Meeting with the President of Kenya William Ruto.
May 18, 2023: Ethiopia
- Meeting with the President of Ethiopia HE Sahle-Work Zewde.
- Meeting Commissioner of the African Union for Peace and Security HE Amb. Bankole Adeoye.
- Ethiopian Airlines executive team meeting at its facilities.
Delegation
- The national government delegation will be made up of: the Minister of Culture, the Vice Minister of Tourism, the Vice Minister of Higher Education, the Director of APC, the Director of Cultural Affairs of the Foreign Ministry, the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs (in Kenya and Ethiopia). , the Director of Commercial Relations of the Ministry of Commerce and the Secretary of the Aeronautical Authority of the Aerocivil.
- On the part of the legislative branch, it should be noted that 2 senators and 1 representative will participate.
- The delegation will have the participation of 5 chambers of commerce (Bogotá, Tumaco, Buenaventura, San Andrés, Chocó) and 9 businessmen who will participate in two economic forums to promote commercial exchange.
- As for the cultural delegation, it will have the participation of 6 artists from the musical field, a film producer and three academics, who will participate in workshops to promote the creative, artistic and cultural industries.
- Civil society will also be represented with 5 social and ethnic leaders, who will meet with leading men and women leaders for the construction of more inclusive societies.