Ablakwa Pushes AU-CARICOM Partnership to Boost Africa-Caribbean Trade

Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has announced that Ghana is pursuing a proposal to strengthen trade and investment relations between Africa and the Caribbean through a formal partnership between the African Union (AU) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

The initiative, championed by President John Dramani Mahama, seeks to leverage the historical and cultural ties between the two regions to create new markets, attract investment, and expand business opportunities.

Mr Ablakwa disclosed the proposal at the Commonwealth Business Forum in St John's, Antigua and Barbuda, on Wednesday, November 4.

He said stronger links between the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and Caribbean economies could facilitate the movement of goods and people, create jobs, and address longstanding trade barriers.

Addressing the forum, the Minister described Africa and the Caribbean as one people whose shared history should form the foundation for deeper economic cooperation.

“Africa and the Caribbean, historically, we are one people. We are family. It is the tragedies and circumstances of history that separated us,” he said.

Mr Ablakwa acknowledged that the transatlantic slave trade disrupted the historic relationship between the two regions but noted that initiatives such as Ghana's Year of Return and PANAFEST, together with calls for reparatory justice, had helped rebuild those connections.

He, however, stressed that the relationship must now evolve beyond historical solidarity to practical economic cooperation that delivers tangible benefits to citizens and businesses.

According to him, President Mahama is advancing the proposal ahead of his expected assumption of the African Union chairmanship in January 2027.

The AfCFTA aims to create a single African market of about 1.4 billion people with a combined GDP exceeding US$3 trillion.

Despite the market's size, Mr Ablakwa noted that intra-African trade accounts for less than 10 per cent of the continent's total trade, underscoring the need to accelerate the implementation of the agreement and strengthen Africa's trading capacity.

He revealed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has begun examining the legal and institutional frameworks required to establish an AU-CARICOM partnership and advance the proposal.