President Bola Tinubu on Saturday made case for stronger economic ties between Africa nations and their Caribbean Island counterparts.
Tinubu made the call when he met visiting President Michael Drew of Saint Kitts and Nevis, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The President said the visit provided a great opportunity for Nigeria and the Caribbean nation to strengthen economic ties, while exploiting all economic opportunities
“It’s a very great opportunity for Africa to connect widely, and Nigeria in particular, to strengthen our bilateral relations and examine and exploit all the economic opportunities that is available to us so that we can achieve more for ourselves.
Drew, while also speaking with State House Journalists, after the visit, said he was in Abuja, as part of efforts to also strengthen greater ties between Africa and the Caribbean nation.
“I came here from Saint Kitts and Nevis, the CARICOM, the Caribbean, and we are seeking to establish greater ties between the Caribbean and our African brothers and sisters here, as we call it, the motherland”
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Speaking specifically on the visit, he stated that his country and Nigeria had been doing a number of things, adding that “ This time I came on an Investment Summit, trying to inspire our people here to come to the Caribbean to invest so that we can work together, closer as a region, as two regions, but really, we are all connected by blood.
Drew, who was in Abuja with his wife, Diane Arienne, noted that his country was interested in the area of agriculture and food security, adding that “ as Mr President said, food sovereignty is quite important. And so we have contacted a number of firms here in Nigeria to consider coming to Saint Kitts and Navis, and the wider Caribbean.
“We are also looking at energy as well as logistics, transport and trade.
“So we have discussed a number of other areas; such as the areas of education and so forth, but there are areas within those ones that I just mentioned that we are seeking at this particular time”
The visiting Caribbean leader was earlier part of the Afri-Caribbean Investment Summit (AACIS ’25), which took place in Abuja.
Themed “Bridging Continents: Africa and the Caribbean—A Partnership for Prosperity,” the summit was put together to foster cross-regional investment, unlock new economic opportunities, and facilitate high-level discussions on trade and development, as well as promoting credible investment opportunities and fostering partnerships in key sectors such as technology, agriculture, manufacturing, and finance.
