The Minister of Economy and Labour, the Hon. Jason Hayward, is attending the 3rd Afri-Caribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF) and the 31st Afreximbank Annual Meetings (AAM), a joint conference hosted by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in Nassau, The Bahamas from June 12-14.
This is the first time that Afreximbank’s Annual Meetings are being held in the Caribbean, reflecting the growing trade and economic ties between Africa and the Caribbean.
In 2022, the Bank embraced CARICOM as its ‘sixth region’, offering membership to full CARICOM members and committing $1.5 billion in trade finance facilities to CARICOM member states, with the potential to increase to $3 billion.
The ACTIF/AAM event is centred around the theme “Owning Our Destiny: Economic Prosperity on the Platform of Global Africa”, reflecting Africa’s deepening economic and cultural links with the Caribbean and other diaspora regions globally.
More than 20 African and Caribbean heads of state are set to attend the conference, including the Presidents of Ghana, Rwanda, Togo, Guyana, Zambia, Barbados and Uganda. Numerous influential African business leaders from the banking, energy and insurance sectors are also present.
On the first day of the conference, Minister Hayward met with the Hon. Ken Ofori-Atta, Senior Advisor to the President of Ghana and former Minister of Finance, to discuss opportunities to develop Bermuda’s economic relationship with Ghana.
Minister Hayward stated: “Bermuda is enthusiastic about fostering economic partnerships with Africa. The ACTIF/AAM conference provides a unique platform to forge close economic ties with the African continent alongside our Caribbean counterparts. The impetus for the Caribbean and Africa to work together is clear. Founded in our shared history and heritage, we face common challenges in areas like climate resilience and food security, alongside a strong shared desire to deepen South-South cooperation. This conference is a clear demonstration that our regions are moving on a new frontier of reconnection, where we can bring together our respective strengths to pave the way for a prosperous common future.”
About Afreximbank: Afreximbank is Africa’s largest trade finance institution, cultivating significant trade, investment, and technical cooperation between its member countries.