(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana – Sunday, 7 September 2025)
Describing the Second CARICOM-Africa Summit at the Headquarters of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as a “homecoming,” CARICOM Secretary-General, Dr Carla Barnett, said the event also represented a “tangible manifestation” of their commitment to bridging the historical divide and reaffirming familial bonds.
“I am moved by its significance as leaders from the African continent and the African diaspora, the Sixth Region of the African Union, assemble to build on the foundation of our shared history and the fraternal bonds forged by our forebears,” the Secretary-General said at the opening ceremony.
After centuries of separation by an ocean, a colonial system, and an international economic order, she underscored that CARICOM and Africa remain “connected through an enduring spirit and a shared heritage.”
“This shared heritage, informed by a horrific range of violent displacements and the ensuing struggles for freedom and self-determination, has produced a vast diaspora of people of African descent, defining themselves differently, yet all looking to Africa as our historical birthplace.”
Recalling the first Summit, she noted that it generated commitments to collaborate in areas such as health, mass media, transportation, trade and investment, and in reigniting people-to-people contact.
Since then, CARICOM and the AU have begun to operationalise the CARICOM-AU Memorandum of Understanding, which establishes a supportive institutional mechanism to advance their partnership.
This includes the launch of the Health Development Partnership for Africa and the Caribbean (HeDPAC), along with a draft action plan for its first year, aimed at enhancing CARICOM-AU capacity to meet health sector development needs.
In this context, Dr Barnett added that the second meeting between CARICOM and African Ministers of Health, held ahead of the Summit, served to solidify the foundation for ongoing active engagement and collaboration.
Similarly, CARICOM’s partnership with Afreximbank is deepening, with the establishment of its Caribbean Headquarters in Barbados and the hosting of the AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF) in four CARICOM Member States since 2022.
“These initiatives address priority areas for both CARICOM and Africa, and this cooperation will contribute positively to sustainable development and facilitate better livelihoods for our people,” the Secretary-General told the Summit.
Noting that “there is still much more to be done,” she outlined the need to explore joint advocacy on reforming the international financial infrastructure, grounded in the Bridgetown Initiative, as well as coordinated responses to climate change, which increases vulnerabilities in both the Caribbean and on the African continent.
“We, together, account for approximately six percent of the global emissions that cause the global warming that fuels climate change, but we are bearing an inordinate burden of the impact,” Dr. Barnett stated.
Touching on the critical need for increased transportation connectivity between the Caribbean and Africa, she highlighted the value of a multilateral air services agreement, adding that this will be further discussed. Against this backdrop, she pointed out positive action on the bilateral front, such as the joint venture between Antigua and Barbuda and Nigeria for LIAT 2020, which aims to provide necessary inter-island connectivity for the movement of goods and people.
“Increased trade and investment by our private sectors remain urgent and critical if our two regions are to attain the development potential that is both necessary and possible,” she urged the Summit.
Source: CARICOM Press Release
See the link below for the full text of the SG’s remarks.
Second CARICOM-Africa Summit marks milestone in bridging historical divide – CARICOM SG – CARICOM
See also remarks from PM Dr. Terrance Drew (St. Kitts and Nevis) and incoming Chair of CARICOM.
Incoming CARICOM Chair urges action-driven CARICOM-Africa partnership – CARICOM