ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, CMC -The second Africa-CARICOM Summit began here on Sunday with the regional integration grouping asserting that Caribbean history is deeply rooted in Africa, the “cradle of civilisation” and “cradle of humanity,” specifically Ethiopia, and that such history did not begin with the slave trade 400 years ago.
St. Kitts-Nevis Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew, addressing the summit on behalf of the Caribbean Community leaders, said that despite these linkages being forged through an exploitative and oppressive system that mocked human rights, the Caribbean is proud of the strides made in strengthening these connections through Pan-African advocacy.
He said the region played a meaningful role in the fight against apartheid, and closer social and cultural links between the people of Africa and the Caribbean, supported by effective decisions of the African Union and the Caribbean community.
The summit is being held under the theme “Transcontinental Partnership in Pursuit of Reparatory Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparation,” and Prime Minister Drew said that this first in-person meeting since the virtual summit in 2021 is considered timely “for reinforcing bonds and deepening the strategic partnership at the global and strategic level”.
He recalled the critical outcome from the first African CARICOM Summit, hosted by the former Kenyan leader, Uhuru Kenyatta on September 7, 2021, adding that “this engagement will allow for broader discussion on the 2024 African Union (AU)-CARICOM Memorandum of Understanding and of the scaling engagement and linkages with people of African Descent, particularly strengthening inter-regional economic partnerships and enhanced people-to-people ties.
He stated that key goals include deepening social cooperation, fostering shared prosperity, and affirming a familiar voice on global platforms, including those related to international peace, security, reform, and multilateral issues such as climate change.
“The discussion aims to find common ground and collaboration on a wide range of shared priorities. Specific areas identified for collaboration include reparations and multilateral cooperation, reform of the international financial architecture, debt sustainability, and finance, education, health, climate change, and youth engagement.”
Prime Minister Drew said that the summit leaders will also discuss digital transformation, including artificial intelligence, trade and investment, as well as maritime and air transport, tourism, and cultural exchanges.
He said that closer collaboration between Africa and CARICOM is “impatient of urgent attention and action” to achieve positive outcomes for both regions, asserting that action must be the only way forward.
Drew said that current global events demonstrate that it is in the best interests of both Africa and the Caribbean to work together as developing regions, agreeing with the host Prime Minister, Abid Hamad Ali’s view to drop the term “developing regions.”
He commended the Egypt-based African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), particularly under the leadership of Professor Benedict Oramah, as well as numerous political and other leaders across Africa, for initiating concrete initiatives in trade, investment, cultural, and sporting exchanges, and other collaborations between CARICOM and the African continent.
Prime Minister Drew made a specific call for increased transportation linkages to reinforce bonds, enabling people to travel freely and unabated between Africa and the Caribbean.
He said the need for increased trade and investment was needed, building on the experience, attention, and amplification of the cultural, historical, and economic linkages between the regions.
He proposed that the transatlantic slave trade, once a devastating tragedy, should now be converted into the “Atlantic Bridge”, one of “hope, advancement, and a means to ensure people take their rightful place in the world”, calling for more cooperation, working together, and advancement.
“CARICOM remains committed to the CARICOM-Africa partnership on this fifth anniversary of Africa’s CARICOM Day, celebrating the enduring kinship and deepening partnership as a demonstration of what they seek to achieve with this new, strong relationship,” Prime Minister Drew said.
CARICOM Secretary General, DR. Carla Barnett, said that the partnership between Africa and the Caribbean is founded on a shared heritage, informed by violent displacements and struggles, and a history of overcoming separation imposed by an ocean, a colonial system, and an international economic order.
She told the gatherings that the summit is guided by Pan-African ideals, championed by iconic minds from the Caribbean and Africa, including Marcus Garvey, Patrice Lumumba, George Padmore, Jomo Kenyatta, and Kwame Nkrumah.
“The summit’s commencement in the Nelson Mandela Hall at the African Union headquarters signifies a positive outlook for deepening CARICOM-Africa relations,” she said, noting the progress in Africa-CARICOM cooperation.
According to Barnett, an institutional framework is in place through the operationalization of the CARICOM-AU Memorandum of Understanding, which establishes a supportive institutional mechanism to foster the development of their partnership.
She stated that collaboration in healthcare is facilitated through the Health Development Partnership for Africa and the Caribbean, which has drafted an action plan for its first year to fulfill the shared goal of enhancing capacity to meet health sector development needs.
She said that the second meeting of CARICOM and African Ministers of Health has also taken place to solidify this engagement.
Barnett said that the economic partnership with Afreximbank is deepening, marked by the establishment of its Caribbean headquarters in Barbados and the hosting of the Afri-Caribbean Trade and Investment Forum 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 all people.”
She stated that a key priority is joint advocacy for reforming the international financial infrastructure, grounded in the Bridgestone Initiative, noting that the existing global financial and economic order is identified as a challenge requiring urgent reform.
“There is an urgent need to address the destructive impacts of climate change, which the Caribbean and Africa do not bear responsibility for, yet they bear an inordinate percentage of the global emissions that cause global warming.”
Barnett also believes that improving transportation links is crucial, with a need to advance initiatives such as the Multilateral Air Services Agreement. She cited a positive bilateral example as the airline joint venture between Antigua and Barbuda and Nigeria, as outlined in the Act 2020, which enables routes in the Caribbean, providing necessary inter-island connectivity for the movement of goods and people.
On the issue of reparatory justice, the CARICOM Secretary General noted the summit’s theme, saying, “This aligns with the African Union’s designation of 2025 as the year for justice for Africans and people of African descent through reparations.”
She called for a unified demand for due compensation for the exploitative practices that traumatized and disadvantaged millions on both sides of the Atlantic, noting the CARICOM Reparations Commission’s more than a decade-long leadership on the issue, providing intellectual leadership and global advocacy, including engagement with African communities in Africa and the diaspora.
Barnett said she anticipates that established mechanisms for collaborative work on reparations and the declaration emerging from this summit will send a powerful and decisive message of cooperation and determination.
Meanwhile, the President of Angola, João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, who is also the chairperson of the African Union, said that the summit aims to reaffirm dignity and promote joint efforts in political, economic, social, and cultural domains, rooted in shared history and kinship.
He stated that the summit’s theme centers on transcontinental partnership and justice for Africans and Afro-descendants, with a focus on reparations and the establishment of a cross-continental collaboration between the African Union and CARICOM.
The Angolan leader highlighted the opportunity to present the year 2025 as a pivotal moment for addressing the issue of justice for Africans and Africa through reparations.
He said the creation and use of African-Caribbean justice mechanisms and a Global Fund were discussed as facilitators for collaboration, noting that these tools are intended to help define strategies, align policies, and promote practical joint actions on reparations, both politically and legally.
The AU chair emphasized the importance of reflecting on shared history and developing a standard action model, as well as economic, institutional, cultural, and educational Initiatives.
He said progress in cooperation includes the establishment of the Afreximbank office in the Caribbean, adding, “This is seen as a step towards opening new opportunities for trade and investment.
He said proposals were made to establish direct flights between Africa and the Caribbean, create public-private partnerships to mobilise resources, and launch joint efforts in African and Caribbean states.
The meeting acknowledged significant global challenges, including the climate crisis, food insecurity, geopolitical instability, and forced migration.
“These issues disproportionately affect countries in the global south, particularly Africa and the Caribbean. The need for stronger cooperation to defend and promote multilateralism was emphasised,” the AU chair said, adding that calls were made for reforms to the global financial architecture and the United Nations system to ensure fairer representation and resource allocation.
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