Ghana’s Vice President, Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, has used a high-profile visit to Barcelona, Spain, to push for a more equitable economic relationship between Accra and Madrid, arguing that the current trading arrangement heavily favours Spanish companies while Ghanaian enterprises remain largely absent from the Spanish market.
Speaking during official engagements on April 18, 2026, the Vice President emphasised the urgent need to “level the playing field,” noting that while Spanish companies are well-established and thriving in Ghana, Ghanaian businesses have yet to achieve a comparable presence in the Spanish market. Her remarks form part of a broader effort by the Ghanaian government to recalibrate its international partnerships, moving beyond traditional trade patterns toward more equitable economic collaboration.
The call for fairer and more balanced trade relations comes at a significant moment, as Ghana and Spain prepare to mark 60 years of diplomatic relations in 2027. While current annual trade between the two countries is estimated at around $300 million, Ghana is seeking to expand this partnership into higher-value sectors that can deliver greater economic impact.
A key part of the Vice President’s agenda in Spain was a meeting with one of the country’s leading food processing firms. Professor Opoku-Agyemang held direct talks with senior management of GB Foods in Barcelona, pressing the case for deeper investment in Ghana’s tomato processing sector as part of the government’s broader agro-industrial agenda. The meeting brought together Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Ghana’s Ambassador to Spain, Kalsoume Sinare Baffoe, alongside government officials.
The Vice President shared the update on X, writing: “As part of my engagements in Barcelona, I had a meeting with GB Foods, a subsidiary of Agrolimen. Ghana has a longstanding relationship with Spain, and this engagement underscored Government’s commitment to pursuing mutually beneficial partnerships. The discussions focused on…” opportunities within Ghana’s tomato value chain.
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Discussions centred on integrating local tomato farmers more effectively into the value chain, with the aim of boosting domestic production, improving farmer incomes, and reducing reliance on imports. The Vice President emphasised the government’s commitment to promoting value addition in agriculture, noting that strengthening agro-processing remains a key pillar of Ghana’s broader economic transformation.
The GB Foods engagement is not starting from scratch. In February 2026, GB Foods Africa announced it had secured 6,000 acres of land in the Afram Plains for large-scale tomato cultivation, described as more than three times the size of the company’s existing tomato farm in Nigeria. The project is expected to reduce import dependence, create jobs and strengthen the agricultural value chain.
The Barcelona talks explored how partnerships with international agribusiness firms could accelerate technology transfer, improve farming methods and lift the competitiveness of Ghana’s agricultural exports in regional and global markets. The Vice President has previously outlined the government’s five-year Agricultural Risk Management Strategy, which specifically targets tomato, poultry and maize production in selected regions, as part of a wider effort to transition Ghana’s farming sector from subsistence activity into a modern, commercially viable agribusiness ecosystem.
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The trade push with Spain aligns with a pattern of economic diplomacy that Professor Opoku-Agyemang has been championing since taking office. Just days before the Barcelona trip, she directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to move beyond traditional diplomacy and take an active lead in expanding Ghana’s trade presence across Africa, with particular focus on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Speaking during a working visit to the Ministry in Accra on April 15, she challenged officials to explain why foreign businesses consistently thrive within Ghana while relatively few Ghanaian companies operate competitively in other markets, and pressed the Ministry to use its agencies, directorates, and overseas missions as practical tools for investment attraction and business expansion.
At the Africa Prosperity Dialogues in Accra earlier this year, the Vice President urged African nations to leverage the momentum of the AfCFTA to trade among themselves, and stressed the importance of moving beyond the export of raw materials to value addition, calling for women-led small and medium enterprises to be given access to markets while the youth are empowered to drive prosperity.
The Barcelona visit was not limited to economic matters. Professor Opoku-Agyemang arrived in Barcelona to join global leaders for the 4th High-Level Meeting of the “In Defence of Democracy Initiative,” hosted by the Spanish government under Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. The summit brought together heads of state and senior officials from countries including Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Uruguay and Spain, with expected participants including Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Gustavo Petro and Cyril Ramaphosa. Deliberations focused on reinforcing democratic institutions amid mounting global pressures, with key issues including combating disinformation, protecting digital integrity, tackling extremism and addressing the ethical use of artificial intelligence.
Her visit concluded with a scheduled interaction with members of the Ghanaian community in Spain on April 19, providing an opportunity for direct engagement with nationals abroad and reinforcing diplomatic and community ties.
By prioritising agro-processing, manufacturing, and industrial collaboration, the government aims to unlock new opportunities for growth while ensuring that the benefits of bilateral cooperation are more evenly distributed. Vice President Opoku-Agyemang’s engagements in Spain reflect a strategic shift in Ghana’s foreign economic policy, one that prioritises equity, value addition, and long-term sustainability. As both nations approach a landmark anniversary in their diplomatic ties, Accra appears determined to ensure that the next 60 years of cooperation deliver more tangible returns for Ghanaian businesses and farmers than the last.
