{"id":143346,"date":"2026-05-26T07:15:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T07:15:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/afromagazine.eu\/africaribbean-trade-and-investment-forum-actif-2025-closes-with-over-usd-300-million-in-deals-and-bold-commitments-to-integration-mobility-and-investment\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T07:15:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T07:15:23","slug":"africaribbean-trade-and-investment-forum-actif-2025-closes-with-over-usd-300-million-in-deals-and-bold-commitments-to-integration-mobility-and-investment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/afromagazine.eu\/en\/africaribbean-trade-and-investment-forum-actif-2025-closes-with-over-usd-300-million-in-deals-and-bold-commitments-to-integration-mobility-and-investment\/","title":{"rendered":"AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF) 2025 closes with over USD 300 million in deals and bold commitments to integration, mobility and investment"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>ST. GEORGE&#8217;S, Grenada &#8212;\u00a0The Fourth AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF2025) has concluded with over\u00a0US $300 million\u00a0in investment and trade deals signed and a robust \u00a0communiqu\u00e9 affirming both regions\u2019 commitment to deeper collaboration. The two-day event, co-hosted by African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (<a href=\"https:\/\/apo-opa.co\/3J8jwcX\" title=\"https:\/\/apo-opa.co\/3J8jwcX\">www.Afreximbank.com<\/a>) and the Government of Grenada, brought together\u00a0more than 2,100 delegates, from 80 countries, including\u00a011 Heads of State and Government, representatives of governments, private sector leaders, and development partners.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A total of\u00a0<strong>eight major deals and memoranda<\/strong>\u00a0were announced over the course of the forum, spanning infrastructure, tourism, digital transformation, and trade finance:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A\u00a0<strong>USD 100 million Receivables Discounting Facility<\/strong>\u00a0with\u00a0<strong>Bahamas Striping Group of Companies Ltd<\/strong>\u00a0for road and infrastructure works.<\/li>\n<li>A\u00a0<strong>USD 50 million Education Construction and Rehabilitation Climate-Linked Facility<\/strong>\u00a0signed with The Government of\u00a0<strong>Saint Kitts and Nevis<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>A\u00a0<strong>USD 61.25 million Term Loan<\/strong>\u00a0for the\u00a0<strong>Homewood Suites by Hilton Barbados<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>A\u00a0<strong>USD 40 million Receivables Facility<\/strong>\u00a0for\u00a0<strong>Cat Island Infrastructure Company Ltd<\/strong>\u00a0in The Bahamas.<\/li>\n<li>A\u00a0<strong>USD 40 million commercial port development<\/strong>\u00a0agreement involving\u00a0<strong>Gemini Integrated Commodities Trading Company Ltd<\/strong>\u00a0and the Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis.<\/li>\n<li>A\u00a0<strong>Memorandum of Understanding<\/strong>\u00a0with the\u00a0<strong>Grenada Development Bank<\/strong>\u00a0to promote SME development and trade flows.<\/li>\n<li>A\u00a0<strong>strategic cooperation MOU<\/strong>\u00a0with the\u00a0<strong>Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU)<\/strong>\u00a0to advance digital transformation.<\/li>\n<li>The\u00a0<strong>Bank of The Bahamas Ltd<\/strong>\u00a0was also appointed as an\u00a0<strong>Afreximbank Trade Finance Intermediary<\/strong>, strengthening the financial ecosystem to support cross-border transactions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In a profound closing statement,\u00a0<strong>Grenada\u2019s Prime Minister, Hon. Dickon Mitchell<\/strong>, reiterated the region\u2019s resolve to institutionalise its collaboration with Africa:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Once we integrate the payment systems and get them to see the Caribbean as the unique opportunity it is, the rest will follow<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWe have to be very deliberate about creating institutions that will, in fact, recreate the type of trade, investment, banking, and financial relationships that we want to build for ourselves. The reality is, what was created before was meant to entrap us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He also urged for\u00a0unrestricted people-to-people movement\u00a0between the regions:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are not here to prevent our people from moving. I see no valid reason for maintaining the visa systems\u2026 Biometrics allows us to move past that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>From a financial and institutional standpoint,\u00a0<strong>Dr. George Elombi<\/strong>, Executive Vice President of Afreximbank and incoming President, emphasised:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe next phase is not about justifying our vision, it should be about conviction. Believing further in who we are, where we want to be, and acting decisively. Finance is the lifeline of trade. Once we integrate the payment systems and get them to see the Caribbean as the unique opportunity it is, the rest will follow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The official\u00a0<strong>ACTIF2025 Communiqu\u00e9<\/strong>\u00a0welcomed the\u00a0<strong>endorsement of the Global Africa Commission<\/strong>, by Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis and other OECS states, and called for its formal adoption at the upcoming\u00a0AU-CARICOM Summit in Addis Ababa in September. The Commission is expected to accelerate trade, culture, and investment frameworks across the diaspora and continent.<\/p>\n<p>Participants also\u00a0committed to the establishment of a Free Trade Arrangement, elimination of\u00a0visa restrictions, support for\u00a0air and maritime links, and expansion of digital, sports, and creative economy partnerships. The communiqu\u00e9 recognized ACTIF2025 as a pivotal moment in building\u00a0\u201cresilient cross-regional value chains\u201d\u00a0and affirmed the\u00a0continuation of the ACTIF platform\u00a0with the announcement of\u00a0ACTIF2026.<\/p>\n<p>Afreximbank President\u00a0<strong>Prof. Benedict Oramah<\/strong>, who is completing his term this year, was celebrated at the event for his vision and leadership. A symbolic tree-planting ceremony was held at Camerhogne Park in St. George\u2019s, Grenada in his honour for his visionary leadership and enduring contributions to Africa-Caribbean relations. The Flamboyant tree, native to Madagascar and widely rooted across the Caribbean and Africa, was chosen for its vibrant red blooms and symbolic resonance of vitality, peace, and growth. The forum paid tribute to his contributions and reaffirmed his legacy as a foundational force in building\u00a0<strong>Global Africa<\/strong>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Fourth AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF2025) has concluded with over\u00a0US $300 million\u00a0in investment and trade deals signed and a robust \u00a0communiqu\u00e9 affirming both regions\u2019 commitment to deeper collaboration. The two-day event, co-hosted by African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) and the Government of Grenada, brought together\u00a0more than 2,100 delegates, from 80 countries, including\u00a011 Heads of State and Government, representatives of governments, private sector leaders, and development partners.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":143347,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2653],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[2583],"class_list":{"0":"post-143346","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-article"},"authors":[{"term_id":2583,"user_id":1,"is_guest":0,"slug":"mermar","display_name":"mermar","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b97554d899a7ce8df2bc286c2f73beda56ebbc97d5d9ced74f7a04498e0fb0d3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/afromagazine.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143346","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/afromagazine.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/afromagazine.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afromagazine.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afromagazine.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=143346"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/afromagazine.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143346\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":143741,"href":"https:\/\/afromagazine.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143346\/revisions\/143741"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afromagazine.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/143347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/afromagazine.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=143346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afromagazine.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=143346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afromagazine.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=143346"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afromagazine.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=143346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}