STRENGTHENING THE RELATIONS BETWEEN AFRICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

 

With a prolonged period of the absence of strong ties between Africa and the Caribbean owing to the matter of colonialization and the consequences after, the goal to forge better and strong relations is at the heart of many Africans on the continent and in the Caribbean.

The leadership mainly in West African nations such as Ghana and Benin has shown a keen interest to strengthen the ties between their African nations and the Caribbean. Ghanaian president Akofu Addo, has made tremendous progress in enhancing the ties between Ghana and Caribbean nations such as Jamaica with efforts to ease travel and trade between two nations. With the removal of visa requirements for both nations, it is much easier to make the bonds stronger and connect the people and the cultures with the understanding that both the Caribbean and the West Africa are the same people.

In the neighboring West African nation of Benin, the leadership has also been eager to make the connection stronger by declaring a warm invitation and call for repatriating back to the to the Caribbean people most of who are descendants of the slaves taken away through the transatlantic slave trade that took African people not only from West Africa but also across the continent in areas such as Tanzania evident from historical slave trading sites such as the Stone town in Zanzibar.

From the Caribbean side, the leadership of nations such as Jamaica & the Dominican have also made significant efforts in a bid to strengthen the ties with Africa . The removal of travel restrictions such as Visas and creation of visa free status and a more open business environment in those countries to encourage investment from continental Africans in the Caribbean is a welcome move.

The alliance between Africa and the Caribbean promises  a greater future with multiple areas of cooperation such as trade and investment, hospitality, culture exchange, education, health, transport, science and innovation, geo-political cooperation for mutual interest among other critical areas to spur cooperation , development and unity  between the Caribbean and Africa.

With the right kind of leadership on both ends, the establishment of a better understanding between the peoples of Africa and the Caribbean will be instrumental in shaping the destiny of achieving a connected people with open borders, shared values and a common passion for development and cooperation in various sectors united through a collective African consciousness.