Uhuru to chair first African-Caribbean Community summit

President Uhuru Kenyatta will chair the first African-Caribbean Community summit next week to discuss trade, cross-cultural exchanges, and the Covid-19 pandemic response.

According to Kenyan's Foreign Affairs ministry, the September 7 virtual summit will be attended by heads of state and government from Africa and the Caribbean, alongside representatives of regional economic blocs.

The ministry said the summit's theme will be "Unity across continents and oceans: Opportunities for deepening integration".

The summit seeks to promote closer collaboration between African diaspora, people of African descent, the Caribbean and Pacific region and their institutions.

This arises from the 33rd Session (2020) of the African Union, which affirmed the strong cultural and historical linkages between the people of Africa and Africa diaspora and all people of African descent.

The participants are committed to strengthening these linkages and adopted a declaration on promoting closer collaboration between people of African descent in the Caribbean and Pacific regions.

Mutual aspirations

The summit aims at actualising the mutual aspirations of African and Caribbean states through enhanced economic, social and cultural ties even as they explore knowledge sharing to boost the fight against Covid-19.

During the summit, other key topics which will be discussed include debt management, development financing, economic integration, trade investment, blue economy and transport connectivity, fintech related solutions and political integration.

The Foreign ministry said that the outcomes expected at the summit are an integrated greater economic trade and investment pact and a collective approach to fighting the pandemic and also climate change.

The summit is also expected to build momentum and support for the formation of the Africa-Brazil- Caribbean Development Commission and provide political goodwill and affirmation for activities aimed at forging closer ties with the African diaspora and people of African descent.

"In addressing the Covid-19 scourge, the summit will seek to reach at and catalyse key strategic decisions and actions to insulate developing countries from the scourge of Covid-19 as well as target availability and distribution of vaccines and sharing of best practices in Africa and the Caribbean," the ministry said.