Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. Terrance Drew, has called for the creation of a Trans-Atlantic bridge of hope to transform the painful legacy of the slave trade into a foundation for deeper Africa-Caribbean partnerships in trade, investment, and development.
Delivering a powerful intervention on 4th September at the opening presidential panel of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) in Algiers, Dr. Drew said the time had come to convert historical suffering into shared opportunity. The high-level session, chaired by His Excellency Abdelmadjid Tebboune, President of Algeria, brought together Heads of State, African Union officials, and international partners under the theme of establishing Africa as a global economic powerhouse through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Representing the Caribbean as part of the African Union’s recognised sixth region, Prime Minister Drew emphasised the historic and contemporary role of the Caribbean in Pan-Africanism, while outlining new avenues for collaboration.
“Hundreds of years ago, there was trade between Africa, the Caribbean, and Europe,” he recalled. “That trade was premised on what we call the triangular Atlantic slave trade… However, we believe that that can be a different history today, because it was trade for others to benefit at our demise. We are saying today that instead of looking at that event that harmed us, that we can see hope today and establish what we can call the Trans-Atlantic bridge of hope, where we reconnect the Caribbean and Africa through trade for all of our benefits.”
While acknowledging that current Africa-Caribbean trade represents only “roughly 1% or less,” Dr. Drew argued that this should be seen as a point of departure rather than a limitation. “When I look at a small number like that, I see hope; it is a silver line. There’s only one place that trade can go. It cannot go down anymore. It is an opportunity to go up.”
The Prime Minister used the platform to highlight ongoing initiatives linking the Caribbean and Africa. “Since establishing this new relationship with Africa, we are now benefiting from the Open University of Tanzania. We are establishing a deeper relationship with vocational studies in Kenya. We are now seeking to establish greater relationships in Ghana. And this, of course, I would say, is the beginning and not the end.”
Dr. Drew identified a range of priority sectors for expanded cooperation, including emerging technology, agriculture, renewable energy, tourism, health care, sports, and the creative industries. He pointed to geothermal energy collaboration with Kenya as a promising example, while stressing that new direct air links between Africa and the Caribbean could transform tourism flows and strengthen people-to-people connections.
Placing his message in the context of the wider Pan-African struggle, the Prime Minister invoked historic figures such as Bob Marley, Marcus Garvey, George Padmore, and Kwame Nkrumah, noting the Caribbean’s pivotal role in the global movements for liberation, unity, and self-determination.
“…I want to bring a message from the Caribbean,” Dr. Drew declared. “That we are much integrated, and we are much interested in bringing a greater relationship with Africa as the continent and its sixth region. This will help us to create opportunities for our people and to rewrite a history, but a history not written by them, but a history written by us, for us, by us, for our own interest.”
The IATF, organised by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in collaboration with the African Union and AfCFTA Secretariat, remains the continent’s leading trade and investment forum. This year’s edition is notable for its emphasis on South-South cooperation and the strengthening of Africa’s trade and economic ties with the Caribbean and its wider diaspora.
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