Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa has urged African and Caribbean nations to use the 4th Afri-Caribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF 2025) to deliver bold and practical solutions to the long-standing trade and investment challenges facing both regions.
Speaking on Monday, July 28, 2025, during the Heads of State and Government panel at the official opening of the forum—held at the Radisson Convention Centre in St. George’s, Grenada—Mr. Majaliwa called for open and honest dialogue that identifies and addresses all barriers hindering intra-regional trade and investment flows.
“This forum must be more than just a talk shop. We must confront, by name, the challenges and structural constraints that prevent meaningful trade between our regions,” he said.
Mr. Majaliwa is attending the high-level forum on behalf of President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan. He emphasized the need for African and Caribbean countries to create conducive policy environments that attract high-impact investments and support investors ready to build long-term partnerships.
“For us in Tanzania, Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote provides a powerful example. He has made significant investments in our cement industry, demonstrating the potential of African capital to transform economies,” he noted.
The panel featured other prominent leaders, including Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerritt, Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston A.
Browne, Saint Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew, St. Lucia’s Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre, and Rwanda’s Minister of Trade and Industry Prudence Sebahizi.
Established in 2022, ACTIF aims to strengthen economic and cultural linkages between Africa and the Caribbean. Over the past three years, the platform has facilitated robust public-private sector collaboration, with over USD 4 billion worth of cooperation agreements signed.
These milestones are driving momentum toward the creation of a formal trade corridor between the two regions.
Grenada’s Prime Minister, Dickon Thomas Mitchell, urged participants to institutionalize ACTIF and invest in shared economic platforms, highlighting the role of young people in shaping a more prosperous future.
“Our youth need to know that the growth of our nations depends on the economic choices we make today—especially our commitment to strengthening trade and investment ties across the African Diaspora,” he said.
Echoing that sentiment, Professor Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors at the African Export-Import Bank (AFREXIMBANK), emphasized the importance of institutional development.
He announced ongoing efforts to establish a Caribbean Exim Bank, modeled after AFREXIMBANK, to accelerate regional industrial growth.
“We strongly believe the Caribbean Exim Bank will be a game-changer in facilitating trade and driving industrial transformation, just as AFREXIMBANK has done in Africa,” Prof. Oramah said.
The overarching goal of ACTIF is to deepen historical and cultural ties between Africa and the Caribbean, create a supportive environment for two-way investment, and unlock shared economic growth.
Prime Minister Majaliwa was accompanied by Mr. Shariff Ali Sharriff, Minister of State in the President’s Office (Labour, Economy and Investment), Zanzibar, and Mr. Wilbroad Kayombo, Tanzania’s Acting Ambassador to Cuba, the Caribbean, Central America, Venezuela, and Guyana.