by Curlan Campbell
- PM addressed Global Africa Diaspora Day celebration during IATF2025
- Mitchell highlighted crucial role of diaspora in Africa’s continued advancement
- Endorsed Global Africa Commission to strengthen African ownership in key industries
Grenada’s Prime Minister, Hon. Dickon Mitchell, spoke on Friday, 5 September 2025, urging economic control and empowerment for Africa and its diaspora. He addressed the Global Africa Diaspora Day celebration during the 4th edition of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2025).
The IATF2025, hosted in Algeria, has brought together leaders and stakeholders from over 130 countries, with 1,600 exhibitors and more than 35,000 visitors, showcasing Africa’s growing role in global trade. The fair is expected to generate nearly US$44 billion in trade and investment deals.
In his address, Prime Minister Mitchell paid tribute to African leaders and highlighted the crucial role of the diaspora in Africa’s continued advancement. “No one, no other continent, no other race, no other culture, no other civilisation is going to do for Africa and Africans what Africans must do for themselves.”
Using sport as a metaphor for untapped economic potential, the Grenadian leader underscored how African and diaspora talent dominate global athletics, yet too often fail to benefit from the wealth it generates. “Track and field is almost completely dominated by Africans and people of African descent. The greatest football team of all time came from Brazil. The greatest cricket team of all time came from the Caribbean. The entire basketball hall of fame is of people of African descent,” he noted.
Despite these achievements, he lamented the challenges faced by athletes after their careers end. “Many of our athletes, after they’ve ended their glorious careers, are plunged into poverty, depression, and are often unable to mentor, encourage, and support the next generation. And why is that? Because the business of sport is still largely controlled by those who wish to continue to exploit our people,” he said.
Mitchell endorsed the idea of a Global Africa Commission, championed by President Benedict Oramah of Afreximbank and former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, to strengthen African ownership in key industries. “We should not just be those who provide the entertainment or the thrill or the skill,” he urged. “We should be those who own the sports clubs, the stadia, the media, the television rights, the marketing rights, so that our global citizens can benefit from the talent, the skills, the success.”
He also praised Algeria for hosting such a significant continental gathering, acknowledging its leadership role in advancing Africa’s collective ambitions. “It is testimony to the leadership role that we have the capacity to play and must play, in ensuring the continued economic growth and development of global Africans,” he said.
Prime Minister Mitchell concluded his address by calling for a deliberate reimagining of Africa’s economic strategies: “We must position ourselves, our citizens, the continent, and the diaspora to not just withstand the storms ahead, but to emerge stronger, more united, more dignified, and to chart the destiny for the continued prosperity of global Africans.”
The Africa Diaspora Day, themed “The Global Africa We Want: Collaboration Without Borders,” featured speeches by Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley and St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew.
Kudos to Hon. Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell for his gallant efforts in spearheading the UNIFICATION of Mother AFRICA and the AFRICAN (Black) People. As Brother Bob Marley has so eloquently expressed: “How good and how pleasant it will be, before GOD and man, to see the REUNIFICATION of all AFRICANS.”