*Unveils New Africa-Caribbean Health, Trade Corridor
By Tony Ezimakor , Abuja
Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume has stated that the Caribbean is a family rather than a marketplace to be exploited, noting that the bi-directional healthcare, trade, skills and manufacturing corridor contemplated across the Atlantic is for mutual benefit of both Africa and the Caribbean.
Akume stated this in Antigua during a Fireside Chat at the Commonwealth Business Forum on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting (GHOGM) 2026, alongside Barbados Prime Minister, Mia Amor Mottley, and the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Director-General, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
“When we speak of Africa and the Caribbean, we are speaking of a shared history, a shared heritage and, above all, a shared people. Many Barbadian families trace their ancestry to the lands that are now Nigeria. Prime Minister Mottley herself has spoken of her Nigerian roots,” Akume said.
“The African Union recognises the diaspora as Africa’s sixth region. For Nigeria, therefore, the Caribbean is not simply another market or another partner. The Caribbean is family,” he declared.
The SGF said the historic bond must now be given an economic future built on South-South cooperation that delivers tangible benefits for both peoples.
“For too long, countries across the Global South have depended on others for essential medicines and medical supplies. We must have a greater role in developing the solutions to these challenges. We must be able to produce more of the medicines our people need, and ensure that those medicines are safe, effective and accessible,” he said.
“This is what South-South cooperation should mean in practice: recognising the strengths we already possess and bringing them together for our mutual benefit,” the SGF added.
Akume also noted that under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, Nigeria has made healthcare manufacturing a national priority through the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain.
“We recognise that our manufacturers must also look beyond Nigeria’s borders if they are to grow and compete. The Caribbean offers an opportunity to deepen our historic relationship while building new economic connections across the Atlantic and into the Americas,” he noted.
Akume stressed that manufacturing capacity must go hand-in-hand with quality and public confidence, highlighting the role of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in protecting Nigerians against substandard and falsified medicines and offering opportunities for regulatory cooperation and technical exchange with Caribbean partners.
“As the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, I also recognise that partnerships of this nature require sustained coordination. Health, trade, regulation, investment and financing must work together if our ambitions are to translate into results,” Akume said.
The SGF pointed to encouraging progress already recorded in the Nigeria-Barbados health partnership, recalling that in November 2025, Nigeria’s Presidential Initiative and Barbados Pharmaceutical Inc. signed a Memorandum of Understanding to advance cooperation.
“In March of this year, AMA Medical Manufacturing delivered its first shipment of intravenous fluids from Nigeria to Barbados. Air Peace flights connecting Lagos with Barbados and Antigua are also helping to bring our regions closer together,” he revealed.
He emphasised that the relationship must work both ways, citing that Barbados-made Lenstec intraocular lenses have undergone evaluation and early clinical use in Nigeria.
“This is a reminder that the Caribbean also has expertise and products to offer Africa. We should be building a corridor through which goods, investment, skills and knowledge move in both directions,” a statement signed by Yomi Odunuga, SA, Media and Publicity to the SGF, which disclosed all these, added.
The highlight of the forum was the proposed joint venture between AMA Medical Manufacturing and Barbados Pharmaceutical Inc. to establish intravenous fluids manufacturing in Barbados, with Afreximbank’s engagement in project preparation and financing pathway.
“This is Nigerian enterprise putting down roots in the Caribbean. It is an opportunity to transfer skills, develop local expertise and establish productive capacity that will remain and grow in the region,” the SGF said, welcoming the agreements being signed.
“Our shared history has given us a powerful bond. Our responsibility now is to give that bond an equally powerful future. Let us build a partnership in which Africa and the Caribbean can rely more confidently on our own capabilities, respond to the health needs of our people and create opportunities for generations to come,” Senator Akume concluded.
*PHOTO CAPTION: Akume (3rd right), Okonjo-Iweala (4th left) and other leaders at the occasion.
