Barbados hosts rich Africans to boost transatlantic trade

Barbados held talks with investors from Africa last week in the latest move to foster relationships.

For three days last week the island’s conference halls buzzed with dialogue of capital, logistics, and opportunity.

Executives from Accra gathered as a chartered jet from Ghana taxied onto the runway, proof that the long-imagined Africa-Caribbean corridor can become a reality.

The flight to Bridgetown brought delegates to the GUBA Trade and Investment Conference and Awards 2025, where government officials, development financiers, and corporate leaders mapped out how to unlock a $3 trillion trade space stretching across the Atlantic.

At the centre of it all was Ghana’s Asante king, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, whose presence gave the summit both political weight and cultural authority. His message was history matters, but investment is what will close the distance between Africa and its diaspora. He enjoyed his meeting with Prime Minister Mia Mottley.