— Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, the Right Honourable Gaston Browne, has called for a new era of practical cooperation between Africa and the Caribbean, urging both regions to transform their shared history and ancestry into stronger economic, diplomatic, cultural and developmental partnerships.
The Prime Minister made the call in his message marking Africa-CARICOM Day 2026, observed today, September 7. The occasion is being commemorated in Antigua and Barbuda by the Antigua and Barbuda Reparations Support Committee (ABRSC), joining the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the African Union, the African Diaspora and peoples across both regions.
Africa-CARICOM Day has particular significance for Antigua and Barbuda. During the historic inaugural Africa-CARICOM Summit on September 7, 2021, Prime Minister Browne, then Chairman of CARICOM, advocated for September 7 to be recognised annually as Africa-CARICOM Day.
In his 2026 message, Prime Minister Browne recalled that initiative and stressed that the observance must represent more than a celebration of historical ties.
“The relationship between Africa and the Caribbean must be more than a historical connection. It must become a strategic partnership for the future.”
He said the observance represents a declaration of the shared identity, interests and responsibility of African and Caribbean peoples to future generations.
Prime Minister Browne reflected on the common experiences of slavery, colonialism, exploitation and exclusion endured by African and Caribbean peoples, while pointing to the resilience and creativity that emerged from that painful history.
He called for solidarity to be converted into meaningful cooperation in trade, investment, technology, education, tourism, transportation, culture and people-to-people exchanges
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The ABRSC echoed that position, noting that Africa and the Caribbean collectively possess significant human, cultural and natural resources, with opportunities for greater cooperation in agriculture, energy, minerals, the blue economy, tourism, technology, creative industries, education and financial services.
The Committee stressed that the greatest shared resource remains the people of Africa and the Caribbean and their collective ability to determine their own future.
Prime Minister Browne identified improved connectivity as essential to building the relationship envisioned between the two regions.
He pointed to the partnership involving Air Peace and LIAT Air as an example of what can be achieved when both regions take deliberate steps to overcome the geographical distance separating their peoples.
“Our people must be able to travel, conduct business, exchange ideas, invest and build relationships with greater ease,” the Prime Minister stated.
He also highlighted Antigua and Barbuda’s engagement with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) as an important avenue for expanding access to capital, increasing trade and investment, supporting entrepreneurship and creating economic opportunities.
However, the Prime Minister stressed that the relationship cannot be viewed solely in economic terms, declaring
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“Africa is not simply a market for the Caribbean, and the Caribbean is not simply a market for Africa. We are family.”
Both Prime Minister Browne and the ABRSC placed reparatory justice at the centre of the Africa-CARICOM relationship.
The Prime Minister said reparatory justice is not about reversing history, but about confronting its continuing consequences and addressing inequalities created by slavery and colonialism.
He reaffirmed Antigua and Barbuda’s commitment to CARICOM’s reparations agenda and pointed to the Third CARICOM Regional Conference on Reparations
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scheduled for Bridgetown, Barbados, from September 17–19, 2026, as another opportunity to advance the movement.
The ABRSC similarly emphasised that Africa-CARICOM unity is inseparable from the pursuit of reparatory justice and called for the movement to advance from aspiration towards measurable action and tangible outcomes.
Prime Minister Browne renewed Antigua and Barbuda’s call for the establishment of a CARICOM-Africa Joint Commission
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which would provide a permanent institutional mechanism for advancing the common interests of the two regions.
He also called for greater cooperation in mass media, information sharing, education and public diplomacy, arguing that Africans and Caribbean people must be given greater opportunities to learn about and understand each other.
The Prime Minister identified four areas for renewed action
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reparatory justice, expanded trade and investment, stronger air, maritime and digital connectivity, and greater cultural and educational cooperation. He encouraged schools, universities, cultural institutions, media organisations and community groups to become active bridges between Africa and the Caribbean.
The Antigua and Barbuda Reparations Support Committee is calling on governments, regional institutions, civil society organisations and citizens across Africa and the Caribbean to deepen cooperation and ensure that ancestral bonds are transformed into greater economic opportunity, cultural renewal, reparatory justice and collective advancement.
Prime Minister Browne similarly urged both regions to recognise the considerable strength they possess when acting together, particularly as global alliances and centres of economic influence continue to evolve.
“Let us build bridges across the Atlantic. Let us strengthen the bonds between our peoples. Let us turn our shared history into shared opportunity,” Prime Minister Browne declared.
As Antigua and Barbuda joins millions across Africa, the Caribbean and the Diaspora in observing Africa-CARICOM Day 2026
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the message is one of renewed unity and determination:
One People. Shared History. Common Purpose. A United Future.
Happy Africa-CARICOM Day 2026.
This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Prime Minister Browne Calls for Deeper Africa-CARICOM Partnership and Renewed Action on Reparatory Justice.