In an era marked by global economic uncertainty, geo-political tensions, and fragmented supply chains, Africa and the Caribbean are at a critical juncture. These and more were part of the discussions in the just concluded fourth Afri-Caribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF 2025) that sprang to life in Saint George’s, capital of Grenada, uniting statesmen, economic power horses, and captains of industry from two richly connected regions.
With discussions unfolding under the theme “Resilience and Transformation: Enhancing Africa‑Caribbean Economic Cooperation in an Era of Global Uncertainty,” the forum has swiftly transcended rhetoric and launched into action.
At the heart of the morning session, The Caribbean Community CARICOM Secretary‑General , Dr. Carla Barnett, called for bold economic realignment emphasising the need to pivot away from over dependence on traditional partners like the United States of America, noting that trade between the Caribbean Community— an intergovernmental organisation that is a political cum economic union of 15 member states— and Africa— represents less than 3 percent of either region’s export activities.
Afreximbank President, Prof. Benedict Oramah, delivered a stirring keynote, unveiling landmark initiatives including a proposed $250M Green Resilience Fund, creation of a Caribbean EXIM Bank, a digital Caribbean Payments & Settlement System (CAPSS-Cyber Assurance of Physical Security Systems) modelled on Africa’s PAPSS, and investments in creative industries and an AI innovation hub across the OECS.
Through collective vision and tangible action, these milestones are seen as efforts to translate shared identity into economic synergy — Asia with Africa’s institutional backing, and Africa with Caribbean opportunity.
Over a dozen serving and former heads of states were in attendance, including Nigeria’s former President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Mahamadou Issoufou, and Caribbean leaders such as Prime Minister Mia Mottley, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, and Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre.
Also at the event, Nigerian diplomat and boardroom business strategist, Dr. Tochil Nwaneri (Global Peace Ambassador), who is the Chairman, Earnwell Microfinance Bank, and Chairman, Centrafrigue Investment Group -CIG, a pan-African and global investment conglomerate. A former appointee on Economic and Foreign Investment to the former Prime Minister of São Tomé & Príncipe, his involvement as one of the special guests underscores his global business impact and cross-continental investment alignment, fostering landmark partnerships across Africa and CARICOM.
Mottley praised President Oramah’s legacy as transformative, while announcing that CARICOM would confer its highest honour, the Order of the Caribbean Community, upon him. The Prime Minister reaffirmed the collective commitment to ensuring that no communiqué leaves AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF) —only action and collaboration.
Deals valued at over US$290 million were sealed on Day 1, covering infrastructure, tourism-linked financing, and educational upgrades. Among them: a $100M facility in the Bahamas for national roads, $61.25M for a Hilton project in Barbados, a $50M climate-linked educational facility in St Kitts & Nevis, and multimillion-dollar PPPs for ports and infrastructure projects.
The summit is positioned as a visible turning point, a transformation of shared culture and history into economic opportunity and collective resilience. It sets the stage for deeper integration under the forthcoming Global Africa Commission, envisioned by Prof. Oramah to sustain and expand this momentum beyond ad hoc cooperation.
The 2025 African-Carribean Investment Forum in Grenada which ended on Wednesday, July 30, 2025 with focused discussions on investment-ready projects, B2B matchmaking, and sessions exploring opportunities in energy, agriculture, telecommunications, tourism, and the creative sectors. All eyes remain on Grenada as a strategic gateway, where Africa meets Caribbean ambition in motion; keeping observers, analysts, and policy formulators on the watch of the economic enroute and investment progressions made in the sub-sahara Africa by one of Nigeria’s investment portfolio management experts.
