Despite the unfortunate bias reflected in some Colombian private media, casting a negative shadow on Vice President Francia Marquez’s Diplomatic Tour of Africa, a closer look reveals why this official visit has been an astute strategic move. The reluctance of Colombia to build robust ties with African nations, a stark contrast to the approach of countries like the United States and China, can perhaps be attributed to a blend of misperceptions, insufficient understanding, or limited resources.

A staggering 26 years have elapsed since the last visit to Africa by a Colombian diplomatic delegation. This time around, Vice President Francia Marquez led a 53-strong team on a 9-day sojourn to South Africa, Kenya, and Ethiopia. This diverse delegation encompassed entrepreneurs, artists, scholars, and government officials.

During this landmark trip, 17 cooperative agreements were signed: eight in South Africa, seven in Kenya, and two in Ethiopia. These agreements carve out a pathway for a host of promising prospects. Among these are reciprocal university exchange programs, enabling Colombian entrepreneurs to venture into uncharted African markets, and bolstering South African peace initiatives that could echo positively on Colombia’s own peace-building efforts.

Interestingly, there are currently no embassies from any Sub-Saharan nation in Colombia. However, the diplomatic doors opened by Vice President Marquez’s tour have piqued the interest of both South Africa and Ethiopia in possibly setting up embassies on Colombian soil, thereby cultivating stronger diplomatic ties.

From a commercial standpoint, Africa presents an untapped market of approximately 1.4 billion individuals. Camilo Montes, Executive Director of the Chamber of Food Industry of ANDI (National Business Association of Colombia), who was part of the delegation, elucidates, “Colombian presence is already noted in 31 out of the 54 African countries, and Colombia currently exports around $58 million annually to Africa, despite the conspicuous absence of continuous diplomatic or commercial relations.” For context, Colombia’s annual exports to Europe, a region that shares deep-seated diplomatic ties with the country, is approximately $110 million. This leads to an intriguing proposition: could an improvement in Colombian-African relations lead to a significant surge in exports? The answer resoundingly points towards the affirmative.