I am pleased to share that the Afronomics Law Blog Symposium entitled “Prospects for Deepening Africa-Caribbean Economic Relations”, which I am co-convening with the brilliant Dr. Ohio Omiunu, will commence on Monday, September 6.
The insightful essays in the Symposium authored by academics and practitioners focus on various aspects of the Africa-Caribbean economic relationship, including relations within the OACPS and WTO, prospects for deepening Africa-Caribbean trade, inter alia. The Symposium’s launch coincides with the historic first CARICOM-Africa Summit which will be held virtually on Tuesday, September 7.
I wish to thank the Afronomics Law Blog for the opportunity to co-convene this Symposium. I also express deep gratitude to my excellent co-convenor Dr. Omiunu and our expert contributors for taking the time to share their insightful contributions and making what we hope you will also find to be an insightful Symposium!
The essays will be available from Monday and will be added daily. They can be accessed from Monday here.
Days after the first ever United Nations (UN) International Day for People of African Descent was celebrated, there will be the first ever Caribbean Community (CARICOM)-Africa Summit! The summit, which was originally carded for July 2020, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The rescheduled summit, which will now be held on September 7, will be hosted by the Government of Kenya and chaired by Kenyan President, His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta under the theme “Unity Across Continents and Oceans: Opportunities for Deepening Integration”. The event will be livestreamed on CARICOM’s Youtube and Facebook pages. You can watch it below:
CARICOM Today notes that participants will include “Heads of State and Government of the Caribbean Community and the African Union, Chairs of CARICOM and the African Union Commission, and the Africa Regional Economic Communities (RECs), the Secretaries-General of CARICOM and the Organisation of the African Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), and the President of Caribbean Development Bank (CDB)”.
The summit is the latest initiative in a push on both sides of the Atlantic for closer Africa-CARICOM ties which transcend traditional historic and cultural ties towards real commercial ties and deeper economic and cultural cooperation. As I noted in a previous piece back in 2019 entitled “Africa-Caribbean Trade: What are the prospects?“, current Africa-Caribbean trade remains small, but the prospects for expanded Africa-Caribbean trade are promising given four main factors: (1) Caribbean countries’ push for export partner diversification, (2) Africa is on the rise, (3) increased Caribbean-African awareness such as the Timaya-Machel collaboration, (4) the signing of the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). I had further argued in that piece that “since it is firms which trade and not countries, building linkages between chambers of commerce and investment promotion agencies in the Caribbean and African countries would also be key”.
On another note, starting Monday, I am truly pleased to have co-convened this Afronomicslaw. org Blog Symposium with the brilliant Dr Ohiocheoya Omiunu (PhD) on “Prospects for Deepening Africa-Caribbean Economic Relations“! The insightful contributions to this symposium will be released daily (from Monday) and can be read on the Afronomics Law Blog. Deepest appreciation to our expert contributors for their invaluable contributions!
The CTLD Blog wishes the organisers a successful CARICOM-Africa summit. I sincerely hope that the results go more beyond simply a lengthy communique of hortatory goals, but there will be a concrete action plan on deepening CARICOM-African ties.
Alicia Nicholls, B.Sc., M.Sc., LL.B. is a trade and development consultant with a keen interest in sustainable development, international law and trade. All views herein expressed are her personal views and should not be attributed to any institution with which she may from time to time be affiliated. You can read more of her commentaries and follow her on Twitter @LicyLaw.
This week I was pleased to contribute a piece to a timely Investment Law Symposium entitled “Is Foreign Direct Investment a Blessing or a Grift?” on the renowned Opinio Juris academic blog. The convenors were Prof. Mohsen Al Attar and Dr. Rafael Quintero Godinez. My piece looked at whether FDI can help or hinder achievement of the sustainable development goals in the Caribbean.
If this is an area of interest, I encourage you to have a read of the excellent and thought-provoking contributions to this Symposium by renowned academics in the investment law and policy field.
Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community ST JOHN’S DECLARATION ON REDEDICATION TO CSME IMPLEMENTATION WE, the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), meeting virtually on 5-6 July 2021 for the Forty-Second Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM;
Recognising that the commitments made in our 2018 ST ANN’S DECLARATION ON THE CARICOM SINGLE MARKET AND ECONOMY (CSME) to inter alia, take action at the national level to advance the regional integration agenda, have for the most part not materialised;
Reiterating our conviction that CARICOM integration and particularly the CSME continue to be important for the growth and development of the Member States of CARICOM especially in the face of the debilitating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic which has absorbed the focus of Member States over the past fifteen months and more;
Conscious of the vastly different economic environment that is currently prevailing;
DECLARE: We have all individually and collectively recommitted to take all action necessary to ensure timely and effective implementation of the CSME, especially in light of the challenges of the current demanding environment.
We have agreed that achieving full implementation of the CSME would require immediate specific action by the Organs and Bodies of the Community, Cabinets and Ministries of Member States, stakeholders (particularly the private sector) and the CARICOM Secretariat. We have agreed to have regular inclusion of the CSME as an item on the Agenda of Cabinet meetings.
We have also agreed to give specific and focused attention to ensuring that our governance and accountability mechanisms and structures at the national and regional levels are made sufficiently robust for effecting the required CSME implementation including a greater oversight role for our Ambassadors to CARICOM.
We have endorsed the COTED decision to convene a special session on CSME implementation before its next regular meeting in November 2021 to agree on other specific actions proposed for immediate implementation by the various stakeholders towards ensuring full implementation of CSME provisions and to approve an overall Action Plan for CSME implementation.
Caribbean Trade Law and Development 