Barbados’ desire to strengthen relations with countries on the continent of Africa, especially East Africa in the area of trade, was the focus during a courtesy call held on the sidelines of the AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF) 2022.
The courtesy call, which involved Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Business, Sandra Husbands; Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and Enterprise Development of the Republic of Kenya, Betty C. Maina, and Barbados’ High Commissioner to Kenya, William A. McDonald, centred on the way forward in increasing trade between the two countries.
Minister Husbands told Ms. Maina about Barbados’ desire to increase the level of cooperation between Barbados and Kenya beyond the prospect of trading goods, to include services and cultural and technical exchanges.
She emphasised that the key to trade was the consumer, and suggested that the Caribbean and Africa must seek to bring their people who have strong linkages in history and culture, together.
The Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Trade emphasised that the media could play a pivotal role in establishing that connection by sharing more about each other, whether it was through news, tourism/culture features, or movies. “If we can start that kind of energy, it makes the receptivity to the goods and the services much easier, [and] it’s going to accelerate acceptance in the marketplace,” she added.
All three officials agreed that for South-South trade to increase, education must also play a role, that is, to educate our people into becoming “conscious buyers”; so that when they spend money consuming a good or service, it should be done knowing that their purchase is going to assist in generating jobs and strengthening the economy not only for their country but also for their “sister” countries.
Other topics the three officials discussed included shipping logistics between the Bridgetown and Mombasa ports; product research; tariff barriers; sanitary and phytosanitary measures; value chain; airlift; joint exchange of tourism and culture projects and exporting/importing of tea, coffee, molasses and rum.
Also present during the courtesy call were: Barbados’ Foreign Service Officer, Craig Brathwaite and Kenya’s Deputy Director, Africa and the African Union, James M. Kiiru.
Barbados established a High Commission in Nairobi, Kenya in August 2021.