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Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta chairs inaugural CARICOM – African Union Summit
Expected outcomes could include greater economic trade and investment opportunities between Africa and the Caribbean
History is being made today, when the inaugural CARICOM-Africa Summit is held.
Kenya is hosting the virtual event under the theme “Unity Across Continents and Oceans: Opportunities for Deepening Integration”.
Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Kenya, is set to chair the Summit.
Plans for the east African country to host a CARICOM and Africa Summit in 2020 had to be put on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Summit follows on the Declaration by the African Union of the Diaspora as the 6th region of Africa.
Participants at the event will include Heads of State and Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the African Union, Chairs of CARICOM and the African Union Commission, and the Africa Regional Economic Communities (RECs), the Secretaries-General of CARICOM and the Organisation of the African Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), and the President of Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).
It is anticipated that the deliberations will institutionalize CARICOM-African Union collaboration. It is also expected that there will be an agreement to host the Summits of the CARICOM- African Heads of State and Government bi-annually.
Expected outcomes could include greater economic trade and investment opportunities between Africa and the Caribbean; and solidarity in actions to address global challenges including climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The African Union generously agreed to invite CARICOM to be part of the African Medical Supplies Platform (AMSP) for the acquisition of COVID-19 vaccines which allowed the Community to benefit from bulk purchasing. The vaccines began arriving in CARICOM last month.
The Summit follows a series of visits between the leaders of CARICOM and Africa, including the visits by President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, and President Kenyatta to the Region in 2019; a reciprocal visit to Kenya by Barbados Prime Minister, Mia Mottley, also in 2019,; as well as visits to Namibia and South Africa by Jamaica Prime Minister, the Andrew Holness in 2018 and Kenya in 2019; and a visit to Ghana by Trinidad & Tobago Prime Minister, Keith Rowley, in 2020.
