Direct air links between Africa and the Caribbean should become the next major step in strengthening relations between the two regions, according to Foreign Affairs Minister E.P. Chet Greene.

Greene made the call as Antigua and Barbuda observed Africa-CARICOM Day 2026 on September 7, arguing that recent efforts to remove travel barriers must now be matched by easier physical connections between the two regions.

“The visa waivers are a start but we must now invest in direct air links to make travel seamless,” Greene said in an official communiqué marking the occasion.

Antigua and Barbuda has recently signed visa waiver agreements with Ghana, Kenya and Benin, developments Greene described as more than administrative arrangements. He said they represent practical efforts to dismantle barriers and build stronger links between Africa and the Caribbean.

The minister said improved travel could also open the door to greater cultural and educational exchanges, allowing young people to explore their shared heritage while developing new professional and business networks.

He also wants greater use of sports diplomacy, particularly through cricket, athletics and football, to strengthen ties between communities on both sides of the Atlantic.

Economic cooperation featured prominently in Greene’s message, with the minister pointing to significant untapped opportunities in trade and investment.

He cited projections identifying agricultural trade potential of up to $15 billion between Africa and the Caribbean and called for efforts to achieve a $1.8 billion trade volume target by 2028.

Greene said businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises and those operated by young people, must be given greater access to financing and markets if those opportunities are to translate into meaningful economic benefits.

Agriculture, renewable energy, financial services and the blue economy were identified among the areas where stronger partnerships could be developed.

The foreign affairs minister also reflected on the historical relationship between Africa and the Caribbean, including their shared ancestry and the lasting consequences of the transatlantic slave trade.

He credited Prime Minister Gaston Browne with proposing Africa-CARICOM Day in 2021 as part of efforts to deepen cooperation between the two regions.

Reparatory justice also remains high on the agenda.

Greene said Caribbean countries must continue pressing for reparations while working alongside African nations on wider issues including climate justice, debt relief and the restitution of cultural heritage.

Attention will turn to Barbados from September 17 to 19 for the CARICOM Reparations Commission’s third Regional Conference on Reparations, being held under the theme “Reparatory Justice as the Coming Enlightenment.”

Greene said closer cooperation is particularly important at a time of geopolitical uncertainty, economic volatility and growing climate threats, arguing that Africa and the Caribbean can strengthen their influence by speaking collectively in international forums.

“The bonds between Antigua and Barbuda and the continent of Africa are unbreakable,” Greene said.

He added that the relationship must now move “from aspiration to measurable action,” transforming the regions’ shared history into a more prosperous and connected future.