Aquarian Consult’s 2026 Afri-Caribbean Investment Summit in Abuja aims to institutionalise a $40 trillion Africa–Caribbean trade corridor by convening over 2,000 policymakers, investors and business leaders to drive structured cross-border deals in key sectors. In this feature, Chidinma Iroegbu examines how the expanded 2026 edition, now incorporating dedicated Agriculture and Food Security and Health Summits, seeks to deepen collaboration in food systems, pharmaceutical manufacturing and healthcare infrastructure while accelerating measurable trade and investment outcomes.
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At a time when emerging economies are recalibrating trade alliances and strengthening South–South cooperation, Aquarian Consult Ltd is positioning the 2026 edition of the Afri-Caribbean Investment Summit (ACIS) as a strategic turning point in relations between Africa and the Caribbean.
Scheduled to hold in Abuja from March 23 to March 28, 2026, the summit is designed to unlock structured trade and institutional investment flows across a combined $40 trillion market spanning Africa, the Caribbean, and the wider Americas. Beyond diplomatic symbolism and shared historical ties, organisers say the focus is firmly on institutionalised commerce, cross-border capital mobilisation and measurable economic outcomes.
More than 2,000 participants are expected, including sitting and former heads of government, sovereign wealth funds, multilateral development institutions, export credit agencies, pension fund managers and leading private-sector operators. For Nigeria, hosting the summit reinforces its ambition to serve as a continental gateway for transatlantic investment. For Africa and the Caribbean, the platform represents an attempt to convert shared heritage into structured economic prosperity.
Speaking at a media briefing in Abuja, the Chief of Staff of Aquarian Consult Ltd, Serumun Ubwa, said ACIS was conceived to move engagement beyond rhetoric and into the realm of bankable transactions.
“Our focus is not just conversation, but execution,” she said. “We are building a platform where businesses, governments and investors can structure transactions, de-risk partnerships and mobilise capital across borders.”
The summit debuted in 2025 with Saint Kitts and Nevis as the focus country, and organisers describe the outcomes as proof of concept. Highlights included the first direct flight from Africa to Saint Kitts and Nevis, bilateral engagements between ministries and agencies, memoranda of understanding in agriculture and cultural exchange, and a $40 million agreement for a deep-water port.
In addition, a 120-person Nigerian business delegation travelled to the Caribbean nation, with several exhibitors securing sales and initiating longer-term partnerships. Visa facilitation measures for Saint Kitts and Nevis passport holders were also introduced, signalling early steps toward easing non-tariff barriers and strengthening mobility.
Yet trade between Africa and the Caribbean remains marginal, accounting for less than 1 per cent of total trade between the two regions. It is this imbalance that ACIS 2026 seeks to address. Rather than functioning as a ceremonial gathering, the summit is being framed as the institutional foundation for a transatlantic trade corridor that can address long-standing structural gaps.
Drawing lessons from its inaugural edition, the 2026 programme has been significantly expanded. In addition to the core Afri-Caribbean Investment Summit scheduled for March 25 to 28, organisers have introduced two high-level engagements: the Afri-Caribbean Agriculture and Food Security Summit, held March 23 and 24, and the Afri-Caribbean Health Summit on March 26.
The decision to foreground agriculture and healthcare reflects structural realities on both sides of the Atlantic. Caribbean nations import a substantial proportion of their food supply, often from distant markets, while Africa possesses vast arable land and growing agro-processing capacity. Ministerial roundtables are expected to focus on harmonising standards, improving logistics, reducing trade costs and developing policy frameworks that enable direct food trade between the two regions.
In the health sector, discussions are expected to centre on pharmaceutical manufacturing, medical supply chains, financing for health infrastructure, and knowledge exchange. Organisers argue that coordinated investment in these areas could reduce import dependence, enhance resilience and stimulate industrial growth across both regions.
ACIS 2026 will also feature structured Business-to-Business and Business-to-Government matchmaking sessions aimed at fast-tracking joint ventures and cross-border transactions. A major innovation is the expanded Investor Deal Room, where vetted infrastructure, energy and technology projects will be presented to private equity firms, institutional investors and sovereign wealth funds.
Participation in the Deal Room, organisers say, will be curated and metrics-driven, with post-summit monitoring mechanisms established to track capital commitments and implementation milestones. According to Ubwa, the emphasis is on verified deal flow rather than aspirational pledges.
Priority sectors for engagement include agriculture and food security, healthcare and pharmaceutical innovation, renewable energy, aviation and logistics, tourism, digital technology and the creative economy. Of particular interest is the proposed aviation corridor aimed at reducing transit dependency through Europe or North America, improving cargo movement and stimulating tourism and diaspora-driven trade.
For Nigerian businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, the summit is expected to provide structured access to new markets across the Caribbean and the wider Americas. Ubwa stressed that youth entrepreneurs and emerging innovators would benefit from exposure to investors, policy discussions and cross-border networks.
“Government participation is critical because policy must enable private sector growth,” she noted, emphasising that regulatory alignment and political commitment will determine whether agreements reached at the summit translate into sustained economic exchange.
Observers say the broader significance of ACIS 2026 lies in its timing. With global supply chains undergoing realignment and Global South economies seeking diversified trade partners, Africa–Caribbean cooperation represents an underexplored frontier. Nigeria’s role as host places it at the centre of an evolving conversation about alternative trade corridors and the mobilisation of institutional capital outside traditional North–South frameworks.
Aquarian Consult maintains that ACIS is evolving beyond a summit into a structured mechanism for sustained engagement, policy dialogue and capital formation. If its ambitions are realised, the Abuja gathering could mark a shift from episodic diplomatic exchanges to a more deliberate framework for economic integration between Africa and the Caribbean.
From Abuja in March 2026, organisers insist that the next phase of Africa–Caribbean relations will not merely be discussed in conference halls. It will be negotiated, financed and ultimately implemented.