Ghana is pushing for the expansion of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework to include Caribbean countries to deepen economic integration, boost trade and investment, and strengthen historical ties between the two regions.
The proposal, championed by President John Dramani Mahama, seeks to transform the historical and cultural connections between Africa and the Caribbean into a mutually beneficial economic partnership. The AfCFTA brings together 55 AU member states, representing about 1.4 billion people and a combined Gross Domestic Product exceeding $3 trillion.
Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, said the initiative would open new markets, facilitate the movement of goods and people, create jobs and address longstanding barriers to trade. He cited Ghana’s cultural initiatives, including PANAFEST and the Year of Return, as well as joint advocacy for reparatory justice, as efforts to reconnect the regions.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had begun examining legal and institutional options for an AU-Caribbean Community (CARICOM) partnership to advance the proposal.
The AfCFTA has contributed to harmonised standards, stronger value chains and increased movement of goods across the continent. Mr Ablakwa called for faster implementation of the agreement and increased ratification of its protocols, urging African countries to prioritise value addition instead of continuing to export raw natural resources.
Ghana is making progress in domestic processing, with about 70% of Ghana’s gold exports now refined.
President Mahama is expected to meet about 120 Ghanaian nurses who arrived in Antigua and Barbuda earlier in the year under labour mobility agreements. The port cooperation agreement between Ghana and Jamaica involving the Port of Tema and the Port of Kingston is expected to improve shipping connections, ease logistical challenges and facilitate trade.
Mr Ablakwa identified inadequate transport links as a major constraint to trade and said Ghana hoped to revive Ghana Airways in 2027 to establish direct air connectivity between the two regions.