By James Amoh Junior
Accra, Nov. 6, GNA – Ghana is pushing for the expansion of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to cover Caribbean countries to unlock new markets, boost investment and deepen economic integration between the two regions.
The proposal, being championed by President John Dramani Mahama, seeks to transform the historical and cultural ties between Africa and the Caribbean into stronger trade, investment and business relations.
Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Minister for Foreign Affairs, announced the proposal at the Commonwealth Business Forum in St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda, on Wednesday.
He said bringing Caribbean economies under the AfCFTA framework would facilitate the movement of goods and people, create jobs, expand business opportunities and remove longstanding barriers to trade.
”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 said the shared history of the two regions, disrupted by the transatlantic slave trade and enslavement, should provide a basis for stronger economic cooperation.
He cited Ghana’s Year of Return and PANAFEST initiatives, as well as joint advocacy for reparatory justice, as efforts aimed at rebuilding relations between Africa and the Caribbean.
The Minister said the focus should now shift from historical solidarity to practical economic cooperation that delivered tangible benefits to businesses and citizens.
He said President Mahama, who is expected to assume the chairmanship of the African Union (AU) in January 2027, was leading efforts to extend the continental trade framework to Caribbean economies.
The AfCFTA brings together 55 AU member states, representing about 1.4 billion people and a combined Gross Domestic Product of more than US$3 trillion.
However, Mr Ablakwa noted that intra-African trade accounted for less than 10 per cent of total trade, underscoring the need to accelerate implementation of the agreement and strengthen the continent’s trading capacity.
He said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had begun examining the legal and institutional arrangements for an AU-CARICOM partnership to advance the proposal.
Mr Ablakwa identified inadequate air and maritime connectivity as major constraints to trade between Africa and the Caribbean.
He said the Government hoped to revive Ghana Airways in 2027 to establish direct air links between the two regions and facilitate the movement of businesspeople, tourists and other travellers.
Although Ghana had signed visa waiver agreements with virtually all CARICOM member states, their benefits remained limited due to the absence of direct flights, he said.
The situation, Mr Ablakwa said, compelled travellers to transit through countries that required additional visas.
He said direct air connectivity would enhance the effectiveness of the visa arrangements and promote business and tourism.
The Minister also highlighted a port cooperation agreement signed between Ghana and Jamaica involving the Port of Tema and the Port of Kingston.
He said the agreement would strengthen shipping links, address logistical challenges and improve trade efficiency between the two countries when implemented.
On labour mobility, Mr Ablakwa said Ghana was expanding professional exchanges with Caribbean countries, particularly in the healthcare sector.
He said Ghanaian nurses had been deployed to Jamaica, Barbados, and Antigua and Barbuda to support healthcare delivery.
President Mahama is expected to meet about 120 Ghanaian nurses who arrived in Antigua and Barbuda earlier this year under the arrangement.
Drawing lessons from Africa’s integration efforts, Mr Ablakwa said the AfCFTA had helped harmonise standards, strengthen value chains and facilitate the movement of goods across the continent.
He cited Kenyan tea, Ethiopian coffee, South African flowers and Ghanaian cocoa products as examples of opportunities created through regional trade.
The Minister called for accelerated implementation of the agreement and increased ratification of its protocols.
He urged African countries to prioritise domestic processing and value addition to maximise the benefits of their natural resources.
Mr Ablakwa reiterated Ghana’s ambition to end the export of raw natural resources by 2030 and said the country was making progress in expanding domestic processing capacity.
About 70 per cent of Ghana’s gold exports were now refined, which he described as evidence of progress in value addition.
He said successful regional integration required common legal frameworks, harmonised standards and clear rules to ensure fairness and prevent discrimination.
Mr Ablakwa advocated a phased approach, with willing countries taking the lead before expansion of the initiative.
He identified Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria, together with Jamaica, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, and Trinidad and Tobago, as potential pioneers of the process.
The Minister said the AU had designated CARICOM as Africa’s sixth region.
Citing the European Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), he said regional integration could begin with a group of willing countries and gradually expand.
He noted that ECOWAS, established in 1975, had demonstrated the benefits of regional cooperation through free movement, trade and cross-border electricity supply.
The AfCFTA, which commenced trading in January 2021, is a flagship initiative of the AU’s Agenda 2063. It seeks to create a single continental market for goods and services, facilitate the movement of capital and people, and accelerate economic integration.
The proposal, championed by President John Dramani Mahama, seeks to establish a stronger economic partnership between Africa and the Caribbean by translating their shared historical and cultural ties into increased trade, investment and business opportunities.
Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Minister for Foreign Affairs, announced this at the Commonwealth Business Forum in St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda, on Wednesday, November 4, 2026.
He said extending the AfCFTA framework to Caribbean economies would facilitate the movement of goods and people, create jobs, expand commercial opportunities and address longstanding barriers to trade.
“Africa and the Caribbean, historically, we are one people, we are family. It is circumstances, the tragedies of history that brought us apart,” he said.
Mr Ablakwa said the historical connections between the two regions, disrupted by the transatlantic slave trade and enslavement, should provide a foundation for stronger economic cooperation.
He cited Ghana’s Year of Return and PANAFEST initiatives, alongside joint advocacy for reparatory justice, as efforts to rebuild relations between Africa and the Caribbean.
The Minister said the priority was now to move beyond historical solidarity towards practical economic cooperation that delivered tangible benefits to businesses and citizens.
President Mahama, who is expected to assume the African Union (AU) chairmanship in January 2027, is championing the proposal to extend the continental trade framework to Caribbean economies, he said.
The AfCFTA brings together 55 AU member states, representing about 1.4 billion people and a combined Gross Domestic Product exceeding US$3 trillion.
However, Mr Ablakwa said intra-African trade accounts for less than 10 per cent, highlighting the need to accelerate implementation and strengthen the continent’s capacity to trade.
He said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had begun examining the legal and institutional arrangements for an AU-Caribbean Community (CARICOM) partnership to advance the proposal.
Mr Ablakwa identified inadequate air and maritime connectivity as major constraints to trade between Africa and the Caribbean.
He said the government hoped to revive Ghana Airways in 2027 to establish direct air links between the regions, facilitating the movement of businesspeople, tourists and other travellers.
Although Ghana had signed visa waiver agreements with virtually all CARICOM member states, their benefits were constrained by the lack of direct flights, forcing travellers to transit through countries that required additional visas.
Direct air connectivity would make the visa arrangements more effective and facilitate business exchanges and tourism, he said.
The Minister also pointed to a port cooperation agreement recently signed between Ghana and Jamaica involving the Port of Tema and the Port of Kingston.
The agreement, when implemented, would strengthen shipping connections, address logistical constraints and improve the efficiency of trade between the two countries.
On labour mobility, Mr Ablakwa said Ghana was expanding professional exchanges with Caribbean countries, particularly in healthcare.
He said Ghanaian nurses had been deployed to Jamaica, Barbados and Antigua and Barbuda to support healthcare delivery.
President Mahama was expected to meet about 120 Ghanaian nurses who arrived in Antigua and Barbuda earlier in the year under the arrangements.
Drawing lessons from Africa’s economic integration, Mr Ablakwa said the AfCFTA had helped harmonise standards, strengthen value chains and facilitate the movement of goods across the continent.
He cited Kenyan tea, Ethiopian coffee, South African flowers and Ghanaian cocoa products as examples of opportunities created through regional trade.
The Minister called for accelerated implementation of the agreement and increased ratification of its protocols, urging African countries to prioritise domestic processing and value addition to maximise the economic benefits of their natural resources.
He reiterated Ghana’s ambition to end exports of raw natural resources by 2030, saying the country was making progress in expanding domestic processing.
About 70 per cent of Ghana’s gold exports were now refined, he said, citing this as an example of progress towards value addition.
Mr Ablakwa said successful regional integration required common legal frameworks, harmonised standards and clear rules to ensure fairness and prevent discrimination.
He advocated a phased approach, with countries ready to participate taking the lead before the initiative was expanded, and identified Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria, alongside Jamaica, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, and Trinidad and Tobago, as potential countries to spearhead the process.
Mr Ablakwa said the AU had designated CARICOM as the sixth region of Africa.
Citing the European Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as examples, he said regional integration could begin with willing countries and gradually expand.
He noted that ECOWAS, established in 1975, had demonstrated the benefits of regional cooperation through free movement, trade and cross-border electricity supply.
The AfCFTA, which commenced trading in January 2021, is a flagship initiative of the AU’s Agenda 2063, aimed at establishing a single continental market for goods and services, facilitating the movement of capital and people, and accelerating economic integration.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: James Amoh Junior
Email: [email protected]