Recently, the Minister of Economy and Labour, the Hon. Jason Hayward, attended the 3rd AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF) and the Afreximbank Annual Meetings (AAM), a joint conference hosted by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in Nassau, The Bahamas from June 12-14.
The ACTIF/AAM event is centred around the theme “Owning Our Destiny: Economic Prosperity on the Platform of Global Africa,” reflecting Africa’s deepening economic and cultural links with the Caribbean and other diaspora regions globally.
Minister Hayward remarked, “Bermuda cannot afford to be complacent in the face of today’s rapidly changing global economic landscape. Our competitive advantages, developed over many decades, stem from a proactive approach to global shifts. Bermuda must expand its horizons, embrace new economic partners, and continually evolve its global offerings. The ACTIF/AAM conference is a vital step in this journey, enabling us to strengthen partnerships with our CARICOM peers and lay the groundwork for collaboration across the African continent. Underpinned by our historical and cultural ties, increased economic cooperation is a natural and functional strategic step leading to greater investment opportunities, shared development goals and economic diversification.”
During the conference, Minister Hayward held a bilateral meeting with the Hon. Abena Osei-Asare, Deputy Minister of Finance and the Hon. Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration for the Republic of Ghana. They discussed Bermuda and Ghana’s mutual desire to deepen economic and technical cooperation, exploring opportunities for collaboration in (re)insurance, youth exchange programmes and other areas of knowledge exchange.
Minister Hayward also met with the Hon. Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment for the Federal Republic of Nigeria, where they discussed opportunities to build a relationship founded on mutually beneficial priorities, including digital assets, (re)insurance, and agriculture.