ACTIF2025 aims to transform Caribbean–Africa Relations

by Curlan Campbell

• ACTIF 2025 will host over 900 delegates from Africa and Caribbean
• Direct charter flight arriving with just under 300 passengers specifically for forum
• Nigerian-Grenadian Association has membership of almost 400 people

Grenada and the wider Caribbean must radically rethink their economic strategies, moving beyond traditional partners and toward deeper engagement with Africa. That was the central message delivered by Gail Purcell and Dr Richard Allan Nixon as the island prepares to host the AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF) 2025, from 28–30 July 2025 at the Radisson Conference Centre, St George, Grenada.

“We have to look to the continent. We have to look to South America, Asia, and the rest of the Caribbean,” said Purcell, Head of the National Organising Committee Secretariat. “We’re not neglecting our traditional partners — but we must reach out.”

The forum, hosted by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and the Government of Grenada, will take place under the theme “Resilience and Transformation: Enhancing Africa-Caribbean Economic Cooperation in an Era of Global Uncertainty.” It will bring together over 900 delegates, including business leaders, policymakers, and heads of state from both regions.

Dr Nixon, Ambassador and International Relations Executive for Strategic Business Development, stressed the urgency of the moment. “Trade from the Caribbean to Africa is less than 1%,” he said. “But the International Trade Centre believes it can grow to $1.8 billion in just a few years.”

He pointed to hard data from previous forums to underscore the momentum building between the 2 regions. “In Barbados 2022, there were about 1,200 delegates and $2 billion in opportunities discussed — whether they were closed or not, I don’t know, but those were the deals on the table,” Nixon explained. “In Guyana, 1,400 people and $561 million worth of business and trade was discussed. In the Bahamas — 3,600 delegates, $4 billion of business was discussed. Billion, with a B.”

Meanwhile, Purcell highlighted a symbolic development that demonstrates the growing connectivity between Africa and the Caribbean. “We have a charter flight that’s coming in directly to Grenada — just under 300 passengers — specifically for the conference,” she said. “That really opens up the eyes to the opportunities for travel between the region and the continent.”

She added that visa access is also expanding. “We’ve had an increasing number of visa waivers for particular countries, so that they can have visa-free access into Grenada, and also expediting the process, making it easier and simpler. We’ve been locked off from certain regions — and I think it’s just what’s been built into society, in our minds, that these are not regions that we turn to.” She said, “We look to the north easily. We’ve been more receptive to looking halfway across the world than we have to the African continent for business or tourism. It’s time we change that narrative.”

Purcell also spoke about the often-overlooked African presence in Grenada. “I had an engagement with the Nigerian-Grenadian Association recently and it even opened my eyes,” she said. “They have a membership of almost 400 people here. Many of them are not just students — they’re professors, businesspeople, highly skilled professionals contributing to our economy.” She said, “They’re happy to be in Grenada, and they have a story to tell — a positive one. And that story will resonate with those coming from Africa. It says Grenada is safe, stable, and open for business.”

The forum will feature a “Spotlight on Grenada” session, showcasing the roles of key national agencies including the Grenada Tourism Authority, Grenada Investment Development Corporation (GIDC), the Investment Migration Agency (IMA), and St George’s University (SGU).

“We’re tying together 4 pillars of our economy,” said Dr Nixon. “Having this kind of conversation as a central part of the programme is very important.”

Examining regional developments, Dr Nixon cited Guyana’s plans to connect the Northern Caribbean to Brazil by highway. “Hopefully, out of these discussions can come a Caribbean-Brazil free trade agreement — or a Caribbean-Africa free trade agreement,” he said. “We have to think about what’s next — what’s mutually beneficial.”