AfricCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum to strengthen bilateral ties between African and Caribbean nations

Together with the Government of Barbados, Afreximbank will host the first-ever Africa-Caribbean Trade and Investment Forum to take place at the beginning of September.

Under the banner of ‘One People, One Destiny: Uniting and Reimagining Our Future’, the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and Government of Barbados have launched the AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum 2022.

The event will run from 01-03 September 2022 in Bridgetown, Barbados.

“This event is intended to help strengthen relations between the private sectors of the two regions to advance trade and investment,” it was noted on the official event website.

The forum will include presentations and panel discussions around several areas of cooperation, including:

• Industrialisation and manufacturing;
• The development of special economic zones (SEZs) and industrial parks;
• Improving infrastructure and trade logistics, in particular in the area of regional integration;
• Creating ideal conditions to attract and accelerate private sector investment;
• The promotion of trade and tourism, and;
• Agricultural productivity and agribusiness opportunities to bolster food security.

A Memorandum of Understanding

Last year October, Afreximbank and the Barbadian government signed an MoU to explore various areas of cooperation and strengthen trade and investment links between the two regions.

“Cooperation among nations of the global south can become an engine of growth and prosperity. The economies of African nations and Barbados share a common heritage, entrepreneurial drive and opportunities. By coming together Afreximbank and the Government of Barbados will harness the power of trade to create new jobs, scale up new industries, and reap the benefits of a rich exchange in goods, services, and culture between Africa and Barbados,” commented Professor Benedict Oramah, President of Afreximbank, upon the signing of the agreement.

Meanwhile, the Government of Barbados affirmed their commitment towards improved trade ties between Africa and the Caribbean nation, with the Hon. Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, saying: “We believe that once trade information flows, once people, goods and services flow seamlessly, then we can reconnect and make the embodiment of CARICOM as the sixth region of the African Union real for all of us.”

Image credit: Via Afreximbank