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The Fourth AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF2025) concluded with over $300 million worth of investment and trade agreements, marking a significant milestone in Africa-Caribbean economic cooperation.
Vincent Musumba, Communications and Events Manager at the African Export–Import Bank (Afreximbank), confirmed that the forum saw the signing of eight agreements and memoranda of understanding across vital sectors such as infrastructure, tourism, digital transformation, and trade finance.
Co-hosted by Afreximbank and the Government of Grenada, the two-day event attracted more than 2,100 participants from 80 countries, including 11 heads of state and government. Delegates spanned government representatives, private sector leaders, and development partners, all committed to strengthening trade and investment ties between the regions.
Grenada’s Prime Minister, Hon. Dickon Mitchell, emphasized the need to institutionalize Africa-Caribbean collaboration, urging the creation of new frameworks for trade, investment, and financial relations that serve the interests of both regions. He also called for the removal of visa restrictions to facilitate unrestricted people-to-people movement, highlighting the potential of biometric technology to replace traditional visa systems.
Dr George Elombi, Executive Vice-President and incoming President of Afreximbank, stressed that the forum’s next phase should focus on conviction and decisive action. He underscored the importance of integrating payment systems to enhance trade, positioning the Caribbean as a unique opportunity for African investors.
The ACTIF2025 communiqué reinforced commitments to deepen regional collaboration, including endorsements of the Global Africa Commission by Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, and other Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) members. The communiqué also supported the formal adoption of the commission at the forthcoming AU-CARICOM Summit in Addis Ababa, expected to accelerate trade, culture, and investment between the diaspora and the African continent.
Participants pledged to establish a free trade arrangement, remove visa barriers, support air and maritime connectivity, and expand partnerships in digital, sports, and the creative economy. The forum was hailed as a pivotal moment in building resilient cross-regional value chains and confirmed the continuation of the ACTIF platform with the announcement of ACTIF2026.
Afreximbank President Prof. Benedict Oramah, completing his term this year, was honoured for his visionary leadership, with a tree-planting ceremony held in his name at Camerhogne Park in St. George’s, Grenada. The Flamboyant tree, native to Madagascar and symbolically vibrant across Africa and the Caribbean, was chosen to represent vitality, peace, and growth.
