Prime Minister Drew Addresses Afreximbank’s 32nd Annual Meeting in Abuja.

Prime Minister Dr. Terrance M. Drew of St. Kitts and Nevis delivered a compelling keynote address at the 32nd Annual Meetings of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in Abuja, Nigeria, advocating for a strengthened alliance between Africa and the Caribbean. His address, delivered on June 25, 2025, emphasized the need for strategic collaboration, mutual investment, and a shared vision of global economic empowerment to solidify the bond between the two regions. Speaking before a distinguished gathering of heads of state, government officials, private sector leaders, and regional development partners, Prime Minister Drew lauded Afreximbank for its decades of impactful leadership and its increasing presence in the Caribbean. He characterized the Bank’s role as not merely facilitating trade and finance, but as constructing “a new kind of bridge” – one forged through human connection, partnerships, and shared purpose, rather than physical infrastructure.

Dr. Drew, attending the meeting as a high-level guest of the Bank, acknowledged the historical connections between Africa and the Caribbean. However, he stressed the imperative of transforming these historical ties into tangible systems and institutions capable of driving future growth and development. He argued that while resilience has sustained the two regions thus far, reinvention is the key to future progress. The Prime Minister urged a shift from symbolic gestures to the establishment of robust systems and the restructuring of cooperation mechanisms to reflect not just shared history, but also a shared vision for the future. He called for a proactive approach to building a future where cooperation actively shapes a prosperous trajectory for both regions.

The Prime Minister specifically commended Afreximbank and its President, Professor Benedict Oramah, for their visionary leadership and courageous pursuit of this goal. He highlighted the Bank’s expansion beyond continental boundaries to embrace the Caribbean, citing initiatives such as the groundbreaking $1.5 billion Caribbean-Africa Trade and Investment Programme (CATIP), the establishment of a regional office in Barbados, and the annual AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF), which has already facilitated over US $6 billion in deals. These initiatives, according to Dr. Drew, demonstrate Afreximbank’s commitment to fostering a genuine partnership between Africa and the Caribbean.

Furthermore, Prime Minister Drew emphasized St. Kitts and Nevis’s pioneering role as the first Caribbean nation to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Afreximbank. He underscored the significance of this decision, describing it as a forward-thinking move that has yielded substantial benefits not only for St. Kitts and Nevis but for the entire CARICOM region. This proactive engagement with Afreximbank, he explained, reflects the nation’s belief in the Bank’s vision and its potential to catalyze economic growth and development within the Caribbean.

Presenting a vision of a unified economic and cultural bloc encompassing Africa and the Caribbean, Prime Minister Drew articulated the Caribbean’s desire for partnership, emphasizing the region’s pursuit of access, respect, and an equal seat at the table. He highlighted the Caribbean’s strengths, offering its creativity, resilience, market potential, and strategic geographic location as valuable assets in this partnership. This reciprocal approach, he suggested, lays the foundation for a mutually beneficial relationship where both regions contribute their unique strengths to achieve shared prosperity.

Finally, Prime Minister Drew linked the partnership with Afreximbank to St. Kitts and Nevis’s Sustainable Island State Agenda. This agenda, he explained, focuses on green innovation, energy transition, healthcare modernization, and food security. He positioned institutions like Afreximbank as crucial partners in realizing this agenda, signifying their role in constructing a new developmental paradigm for the nation and the wider Caribbean. This partnership, he concluded, is essential for building a sustainable and prosperous future for the region, aligning with the global push towards green and sustainable development.