From October 30th-31st, Afreximbank held the second annual AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF) in Georgetown, Guyana under the theme “Creating a Shared Prosperous Future.”

Key focus areas for ACTIF23 included accelerating private sector investment, improving infrastructure, financing, and trade logistics, and promoting trade, tourism, and regional integration.

Additionally, the forum served to highlight the significant progress made by the Afreximbank-CARICOM Partnership namely, the Afreximbank Board of Directors’ approval of US $1.5 billion in funding for CARICOM member states that have ratified the Partnership Agreement to access the Bank’s financial instruments, and the CARICOM Development Fund becoming Bank’s first CARICOM shareholder.

As we welcome the convening of the Africa-Trade and Investment Forum, 2022 to Barbados, the SRC supports the efforts to establish deeper trade relations between CARICOM and Africa. Check out what we have done so far.

The SRC is pleased to share the work of the P.J. Patterson Institute for Africa-Caribbean Advocacy at The University of the West Indies, which aims to centralize and coordinate its relations with African peoples, governments, universities, and institutions through a specialized institutional agreement. See here for more information.

Read the publication from the International Trade Centre (ITC) on Expanding African-Caribbean Trade.

Opportunities for Economic Growth and Development Presented by the Afreximbank-CARICOM Partnership

By Adiella Lewis

From 30-31 October 2023, Heads of Governments, delegates, private sector representatives, and other key stakeholders from Africa and the Caribbean gathered in Georgetown, Guyana for the second annual AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF) organized by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank).

Building on the success of the first ACTIF, held in September 2022 in Bridgetown Barbados, ACTIF23 was intended to foster stronger economic ties, encourage trade, and facilitate investment opportunities between Africa and the Caribbean. The recently concluded forum also served to highlight the significant progress made by the Afreximbank-CARICOM partnership since the first ACTIF during which the International Trade Centre’s (ITC) report entitled “Expanding African-Caribbean Trade” was launched.

Interning with the African Export-Import Bank in Cairo, Egypt

By Adiella Lewis

As a Barbadian national, interning at the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in Cairo Egypt following the completion of my Master’s in International Trade Policy at the University of the West Indies was undoubtedly, a career defining experience. This once in a lifetime opportunity allowed me to travel and experience the histories and cultures of a number of African countries, witness historical milestones in trade between the African continent and Caribbean region, and acquire valuable skills which will benefit me in my career as a trade professional.

In this SRC Trading Thoughts, I recount the experience, highlighting my key takeaways and the reasons why future students should take full advantage of this opportunity, and share how the internship has influenced my professional trajectory.

From the Savannah to the Sea: Connecting Kenya and Barbados through Trade and Investment

By Dr. Jan Yves Remy and Chelcee Brathwaite

On the side lines of the UNCTAD XV Conference hosted by Barbados on 3-7 October 2021,  a growing courtship between Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley and Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta was entering a new phase. While trade officials were busy negotiating the final text of the Bridgetown Covenant at the UNCTAD XV plenary session, Barbados was also playing host to a high-level Kenyan contingent of officials and business persons at a Kenya-Barbados Business Forum.  The Forum was organized for the Kenyans and their Barbadian counterparts to exchange best practices and consider business opportunities in the fields of finance and investment; telecommunications and digitization; travel and tourism; energy; transportation and logistics; and biotechnology and bio trade.  The Forum appears to have been successful and culminated in the signing of three agreements: an Air Services Agreement; a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in the Establishment of a Joint Committee on Trade and Investment; and an MOU in the Development of the National Botanical Garden. In this SRC Trading Thoughts we explore what business and trade opportunities might truly lie in the growing ties between Barbados and Kenya.

The SRC is pleased to share our Caribbean-Africa Webinar Series Rapporteur’s Note. It is the first output from the informative series we cohosted with Tralac, Trapca and AfronomicsLaw over a period of five weeks in June and July 2021. The rapporteur’s note, which was authored by the series’ moderators Ms. Kholofelo Kugler (Co-Founder, Trade Policy Exchange) and our own SRC Director Dr. Jan Yves Remy, provides a background to the series and the major conclusions from each of the webinars. The series was formally opened with a Keynote address by H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

We are particularly happy to release this Rapporteur’s Note to coincide with the hosting of the Africa-CARICOM Summit on September 7, 2021 and as our contribution to the wider discourse on deepening Africa-Caribbean relations.