ALGIERS, Algeria – THE Federation’s Prime Minister, Dr. Terrance Drew, used the platform of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to advocate for closer trade ties between Africa and the Caribbean, highlighting education as a cornerstone of the expanding partnership.
Dr. Drew, who stopped in Algiers for the Trade and Investment Conference on his way to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for the Second Africa-CARICOM Summit, stressed the need to strengthen economic and educational links. Currently, trade between the two regions accounts for just one to three percent.
"We are saying today that instead of looking at that event that harmed us, that we can see hope today and establish what we can call the Transatlantic Bridge of Hope, where we reconnect the Caribbean and Africa through trade for all of our benefits," he said during a panel discussion today(Sept. 4).
The Prime Minister also previously met with African companies to explore investment opportunities in the Caribbean, particularly St. Kitts and Nevis, highlighting sectors such as technology, emerging technologies, agriculture, and renewable energy.
"For example, the trade between the Caribbean and Africa is roughly 1% or less. That is a very, very small percentage. You might look at that and say, why is it important? When I look at a small number like that, I still hope it is a silver lining. There is only one place that that trade can go. It cannot go down anymore. It is an opportunity to go up," Dr Drew added.
On the education front, he pointed to initiatives linking St. Kitts and Nevis with African universities. "Since establishing this new relationship with Africa, we are now benefiting from the Open University of Tanzania. We are establishing deeper relationships with vocational studies in Kenya. We are now seeking to establish greater relationships, I would say, in Ghana. And this, of course, I would say, is the beginning and not the end," he said.
Dr. Drew acknowledged challenges in air connectivity, noting that direct flights between Africa and the Caribbean do not exist. "To go from the Caribbean to Africa, you have to go north to come back south. And it takes sometimes two to three days. However, in the Caribbean, we have direct flights from Europe and various cities within North America,” he explained.
Despite these challenges, he emphasized the potential for growth in tourism and the creative industry.
"With Africa having over one billion people and the Caribbean being a premier area for tourism, therefore, there are opportunities for this to grow. I want to also speak about in the creative industry. We know that there are great persons from this continent in that industry," Dr Drew said.
The development of closer ties is being supported by Afreximbank, which continues to provide economic opportunities for investment and growth between the two regions.
