GEORGETOWN, Guyana – Heads of state and government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the CARICOM secretary-general, and other regional and international representatives will join their African counterparts in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 7 September for the Second Africa-CARICOM Summit.
Convened on the third CARICOM-Africa Day, under the theme “Transcontinental Partnership in Pursuit of Reparatory Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations,” the Summit aligns with the principles of the AU-CARICOM Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on strengthening engagement and fostering linkages between CARICOM and Africa.
The Summit, anchored at the African Union commission’s headquarters, is expected to welcome the presidents of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, and Heads of the African and Caribbean Development Banks, as well as the Afreximbank.
Representatives from the broader AU and UN systems, along with other strategic regional and global partners, including the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States; Permanent Forum of People of African Descent; civil society, and diaspora organizations, are also expected to attend.
On 6 September, the African Union Commission will host a high-level side event focusing on reparations, memory and sovereignty, and ministers of health from the African and Caribbean will convene for a joint meeting hosted by the ministry of health of Ethiopia, the African Union Commission, CARICOM, and HeDPAC. Caribbean nationals in Ethiopia will also host a diaspora event focused on strengthening Caribbean-Africa relations.
The opening ceremony on 7 September will feature addresses by the incoming chair of CARICOM, Dr Terrance Drew; CARICOM Secretary-General, Dr Carla Barnett; chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Mahamoud Ali Youssouf; prime minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, H.E. Abiy Ahmed Ali; president of the Republic of Angola, H.E. João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço; and the UN Secretary-General, H.E. António Guterres.
Plenary sessions and a general debate will be other key features of the Summit. The opening ceremony will be streamed live on CARICOM’s social media platforms.