Nigeria eyes $40tn Africa–Caribbean trade corridor

2026-02-17 - 17:57

By Luminous Jannamike & Folarin Kehinde ABUJA – Nigeria and Caribbean countries are working to open access to a combined $40 trillion market covering Africa, the Caribbean and the Americas, as preparations intensify for the 2026 Afric-Caribbean Investment Summit in Abuja. The plan was announced at a press conference organised by Aquarian Consult, where the firm’s Chief of Staff, Serumun Ubwa, explained that the summit is designed to move beyond discussions and focus on real investment deals and cross-border partnerships. “The summit will unlock a combined $40 trillion market across Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas. Nigeria and the Caribbean are both strategically positioned, and this provides an opportunity for businesses on both sides to access these markets,” she said. Ubwa said the 2026 edition will create direct opportunities for Nigerian and Caribbean businesses to enter markets across Africa as well as North, Central and South America. She noted that structured business-to-business and business-to-government matchmaking sessions, along with an expanded investor deal room, will help investors identify projects, secure partnerships and receive regulatory guidance. She recalled that the inaugural 2025 summit, which had St. Kitts and Nevis as the focus country, attracted a high-level delegation led by the country’s Prime Minister and produced memoranda of understanding in agriculture and cultural exchange, investment commitments, and the first-ever direct flight link between Nigeria and the Caribbean nation. The 2026 programme has been expanded to include the Afric-Caribbean Agriculture and Food Security Summit, the main Investment Summit, and the Afric-Caribbean Health Summit, reflecting growing investor interest in agriculture, healthcare, pharmaceuticals and cross-border infrastructure projects. Key sectors expected to attract investments include agriculture and food security, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, renewable energy, tourism, the creative economy, digital technology and broader energy projects. More than 2,000 participants, including government leaders, sovereign wealth funds, multilateral institutions, investment agencies and private-sector executives, are expected to attend. “With the outcomes we achieved in 2025, we have proven that this is not just about conversations. It is about execution,” Ubwa said. She added that the summit is intended to help reshape trade flows, mobilise institutional capital and strengthen economic cooperation between Africa and the Caribbean through joint ventures and long-term investment partnerships.