1st ever African Union/ Caricom Summit 09/07/21 /* 2nd edition 09/07/25

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St. Kitts Nevis Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Marine Resources, and the Creative Economy, the Honourable Samal Duggin signs Letter of Interest with Afreximbank | WINNFM 98.9

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Marine Resources, and the Creative Economy, the Honourable Samal Duggins, on Monday, July 28, 2025, signed a pivotal Letter of Interest with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) to support the development of a state-of-the-art port in Saint Kitts. The...

www.winnmediaskn.com

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Nigerian Entrepreneur Aisha Maina Secures Afreximbank-Backed Usd 40 Million St Kitts Port Investment​

08/04/25
Nigerian entrepreneur Aisha Maina has just secured an Afreximbank-backed USD 40 million investment to build a deep-water port in St Kitts. Beyond paving a direct shipping gateway for African exporters, she is personally leading a Caribbean trade mission across Grenada, Jamaica and Trinidad, opening doors for new partnerships in agribusiness, manufacturing and professional services.

The project is expected to generate thousands of jobs in the Eastern Caribbean and Africa while providing African producers with faster, cost-efficient access to lucrative markets. Maina's initiative exemplifies South-South cooperation at its best and underscores Nigeria's capacity to shape global trade corridors.

Nigerian entrepreneur Aisha Maina secures Afreximbank-backed USD 40 million St Kitts port investment and leads a separate Caribbean trade mission across Grenada, Jamaica and Trinidad

Aisha Maina, Managing Director of Aquarian Consult and founder of Gemini Integrated Commodities, has completed an intensive week of engagements that unite policy, private capital and hard infrastructure around a single objective: building a reliable commercial bridge between Africa and the Caribbean.

The new port will anchor a 10 square kilometre special economic zone designed for agro processing, light assembly and bonded warehousing. Feasibility studies begin in August, and financial close is targeted for Q1 2026. The facility is expected to create thousands of jobs and attract an additional USD 300 million in private investment. For Saint Kitts & Nevis, a nation of fewer than 60,000 people, the project positions the federation as a logistics hinge between 19 African and 12 Caribbean Commonwealth members. For exporters in West Africa, it removes a costly European detour and delivers end-to-end digital customs visibility.

 

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Grenada to market Citizenship by Investment Programme in West Africa​

July 31, 2025

The head of Grenada’s Investment Migration Agency (IMA), Thomas Anthony, says the country will step up efforts to market its Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programme in West Africa, with a tour planned for October 2025.

Speaking at the recently concluded Fourth AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF2025), Anthony said Nigeria remains the leading source of African applicants to the programme, but Grenada is now setting its sights on expanding interest across the continent—particularly in Ghana and Kenya.
“We’ve been exploring more African countries,” said Anthony, who was a panelist in a session titled “A showcase of Grenada’s Investment: Trade, Business and Tourism.” “More recently, we were in Kenya in collaboration with the Nairobi Chamber of Commerce. Over 100 individuals attended, and my understanding is that 25 percent of attendees at a private event there expressed interest in applying to the programme.”

Grenada’s CBI programme grants foreign investors citizenship in exchange for a significant financial contribution to the island’s socio-economic development. Beyond the investment itself, successful applicants benefit from visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to over 145 countries.
Anthony said the October tour will include stops in Ghana as the IMA looks to tap into new markets and deepen its relationship with the continent.

“We are trying to grow the demographic coming out of Africa,” he said. “But we’re also playing our part in creating that bridge between Africa, Grenada, and the Caribbean at large—allowing individuals to make investments into Grenada, and also protect those investments by becoming citizens.”
Data from the IMA, formerly the CBI Unit, shows several Kenyan applicants were approved for citizenship under the programme in the last quarter of 2024.

 

[null]

from grenada

 

[3rdWorld]

This is great..

 

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Dame Sandra Prunella Mason president of Barbados visits Liberia.​

05/10/25

Barbados' President Mason Hails Liberia's Climate Leadership and Deep Historical Ties During Landmark Visit - Global News Network Liberia

By: Amos Harris Monrovia, Liberia – In a powerful affirmation of Liberia’s commitment to environmental stewardship and a celebration of enduring historical bonds, the President of Barbados, Dame Sandra Prunella Mason, concluded a historic visit to Liberia, declaring that “Liberia is in good...

gnnliberia.com

President of Barbados invites Liberians to visit the island – Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation

www.cbc.bb

 

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Caricom payment system aims to reduce US dollar reliance​

08/11/25

Caribbean central banks testing payment system to reduce reliance on US banks
Four Caribbean central banks are launching a pilot project to develop an alternative payment system, aiming to reduce reliance on the US dollar for trade and remittances.

Spearheaded by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB), the initiative seeks to transform cross-border payments and will eventually link to Africa’s system, which was established three years ago.

The pilot for the Caricom Payment and Settlement System (CAPSS) will initially include Barbados, The Bahamas, ECCB member states, and one additional country to be confirmed. ECCB Governor Timothy Antoine announced this at the Africaribbean Trade and Investment Forum held in Grenada last week.

“I’ll allow the other country to confirm when it is ready to do so,” said Antoine. “Once we complete the pilot, we’ll look at scaling it up,” he added.
CAPSS is designed as a real-time, low-cost cross-border payment system operating in local currencies.

It mirrors the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), a centralised financial infrastructure developed by Afreximbank and the African Union to enable secure, real-time cross-border payments in local currencies across Africa. Launched in 2022, PAPSS connects central banks, commercial banks, and payment service providers to streamline transactions and reduce reliance on foreign currencies.

The countries currently involved in PAPSS include Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, The Gambia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Djibouti, Tunisia, Egypt, Comoros, Malawi, Algeria, and Rwanda. The platform has now been adopted by Caricom.

The goal is to facilitate trade and remittances within the region using local currencies, bypassing costly and often unreliable correspondent banks in the United States.
“We cannot continue to rely on correspondent banks, particularly those from the US,” Antoine noted.

Using CAPSS, transactions – for example, from Grenada to Guyana – can be settled in Eastern Caribbean and Guyanese dollars, respectively, with central banks and the African Export-Import Bank acting as settlement agents.
“In day-to-day transactions, traders will be trading in local currencies. That, we believe, is a potential breakthrough,” Antoine said.

Phase two will expand the system to African countries, enabling direct currency exchanges between Caricom and Africa. “Charity begins at home – phase one. Then, in phase two, we pivot to the motherland,” he added.

The pilot builds on a successful proof-of-concept earlier this year between the Central Bank of Barbados and the Central Bank of The Bahamas. The ECCB is now collaborating with the Committee of Central Bank Governors to scale the initiative across the region – and eventually beyond.

“This is a concrete example of leveraging our shared pain for shared prosperity,” said Antoine, while thanking Afreximbank for its leadership in laying the foundation for CAPSS.
“I want to be clear: while background settlements will still involve US dollars between central banks, the day-to-day transactions will use local currencies – a key innovation with broad potential,” Antoine emphasised

 

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08/19/25

In Kenya's capital, a new Rastafari temple shows the movement's endurance

Rastafarians in Kenya have celebrated the opening of a new place of worship near Nairobi. This event highlights the community’s growth in a country where Rastafari was not always seen as a legitimate religion.

apnews.com

 

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CARIFESTA 2025 brings Africa, Latin America to Barbados’ Stage - Barbados Today

CARIFESTA XV has been described as the most ambitious staging in the festival’s 53-year history, with Barbados set to welcome over 2 500 delegates for a 10-day celebration that begins on Thursday.The 15th edition of the Caribbean Festival of Arts, running August 22 to 31 under the theme...

barbadostoday.bb

08/22/25

Non Caribbean countries in attendance (+ Carib countries with small number of attendees)




*typo, Butler is from South Africa, not Ghana

 

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*University of Lagos annual Afro Caribbean carnival turned 20

UNILAG Afro-Caribbean Carnival Celebrates 20 Years of Cultural Brilliance - University Of Lagos

Held at the Indoor Sports Hall of the Sports Centre, University of Lagos (UNILAG) on Thursday, August 14, 2025, the Afro-Caribbean Carnival marked its 20th anniversary with a dazzling showcase of music, dance, and cultural pride. This year’s milestone carnival featured vibrant performances from...

unilag.edu.ng

08/19/25

 

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Cued , to remarks by Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew of St Kitts and Nevis

09/04/25

Trade below 1% but Caribbean finds voice at Africa’s largest fair

By Kurt Campbell in Algeria Kurt@newsroom.gy The fourth edition of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2025) opened in Algiers, Algeria, on Thursday with a clear message that trade and investment are not just unifying Africa but extending firmly to the Caribbean, the African Union’s recognised...

newsroom.gy

 

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Caribbean leaders demand shift from talk to trade as AfriTrade Company launched

By Kurt Campbell in Algeria kurt@newsroom.gy Caribbean leaders are making it clear, the era of talk and rhetoric has run its course. On Friday, speaking at the 2nd Global Africa Diaspora Day during the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF 2025), they issued a bold call for unity and action with one...

newsroom.gy

The launch of the Africa Trade and Distribution Company (ATDC), a new platform designed to link African producers with diaspora markets and keep more wealth circulating within the global African family.

09/05/25

 

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09/06/25

 

[Wiseborn]

responding to keep tabs on the thread

 

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Thanks for sharing. Also check out HeDPAC. The new health development partnership between africa and the caribbean.

Thanks for the heads up about HeDPAC. Wasnt aware of it.

Building off that, fittingly the 1st session/precursor of the 2025 Africom/AU Summit is about healthcare






The second Africa-Caribbean Ministers of Health meeting is underway in Addis Ababa with the objectives of advancing shared solutions for health system resilience and health financing

 

[Enzo]

Thanks for the heads up about HeDPAC. Wasnt aware of it.

Building off that, fittingly the 1st session/precursor of the 2025 Africom/AU Summit is about healthcare






The second Africa-Caribbean Ministers of Health meeting is underway in Addis Ababa with the objectives of advancing shared solutions for health system resilience and health financing

Lol. My team did the production for that day. That was actually HeDPAC event.