By Sheena Forde – Craigg
The government of Barbados will join the CARICOM community on Thursday, September 7, to celebrate Africa-CARICOM Day.
Barbados’ ambassador to CARICOM, David Comissiong, shared that the island will commemorate the day with a flag-raising ceremony at government headquarters commencing at 8:30 a.m., where the flags of the African Union (AU) and CARICOM will be raised.
There will also be a programme comprising cultural performances and short addresses by representatives of the AU, CARICOM and the government of Barbados.
Later in the evening, CBC Television will air a programme that will feature live reports and discussions with representatives from the ministry of foreign affairs and foreign trade; Export Barbados; Invest Barbados; Afreximbank in Barbados; Ghanaian nurses; and The University of The West Indies, Cave Hill Campus.
CARICOM chair, prime minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, noted that in keeping with a decision taken at the inaugural Africa-CARICOM Summit on September 7, 2021, the Caribbean Community will mark Africa-CARICOM Day.
Prime minister Skerrit, has urged the Community to maintain momentum to foster the region’s increasingly important and fast-developing relationship with Africa and the African Union. He called for the Community and the AU to host meaningful activities to mark Africa-CARICOM Day.
“As CARICOM, we continue to prioritise efforts to build on our deep historic and cultural ties with our sister African nations. We are keen to identify new avenues for partnership and collaboration and advance existing initiatives to expand trade and commercial relations between our two regions,” the Chairman observed.
Both prime minister Skerrit and ambassador Comissiong are encouraging the people of the region to embrace the spirit of Africa-CARICOM Day as the Community seeks to deepen cooperation with Africa.