ABUJA, Nigeria, CMC — The acting head of the Africa Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in the Caribbean, Okechukwu Ihejirika, says he remains confident that scheduled flights between Africa and the Caribbean region could soon become a reality.

Afreximbank is encouraging Caribbean businesses to showcase their goods and services at the 4th Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2025) in Algiers in September, and Ihejirika, who is head of Afreximbank’s Barbados-based Caribbean office, said that the financial institution is exploring the possibility of a direct flight between the Caribbean and Algiers for IATF2025.

He, however, said that many Africans require a visa to travel through the United States or the United Kingdom, adding that it is easier for a Caribbean national to access such a visa.

“So that means it’s easy for them actually to come,” Ihejirika told journalists during Afreximbank’s 32^nd annual meetings (AAM2025) taking place here through Saturday.

IATF2025 is pitched as a unique and valuable platform for businesses to access an integrated African market of over 1.4 billion people with a gross domestic product (GD) of over US$3.5 trillion created under the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Ihejirika said that Afreimbank would organise a direct flight between the Caribbean and Algiers once there is demand, noting also that a conversation about trade is also about goods and the movement of people, which includes flights.

“It’s a very interesting topic. And what we see of late is more airlines now trying to talk about that possibility and coming to us as well to tell us they are interested,” Ihejirika told reporters, adding that such conversations were not taking place four or five years ago.

“So, those conversations are on the table, and usually when problems are discussed on the table, the next thing that follows is the solution,” Ihejirika said.

“So, I’m very optimistic that one of them, in no distant time, should have a scheduled, regular flight between Africa and the Caribbean as a first step. Because with the movement of people via that flight will also come movement of goods.”

He was confident that when this is proven as a viable concept, people would approach Afreximbank for financing.

“… then we also see people who will come to us as well with interest on the maritime side, which, of course, we’d happy to support to see goods move freely, directly, through that short hub across the Atlantic to get goods across the Caribbean without having to transit anywhere else,” Ihejirika said.

Speaking on the opening day of AAM2025 on Wednesday, St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Dr. Terrance Drew noted that one of the largest aircraft to land in his twin-island Federation was the Air Peace direct flight from Ghana to Basseterre on June 12.

Air Peace, West and Central Africa’s largest airline, made a historic non-stop 10-hour flight from Nigeria to St. Kitts and Nevis.

The Boeing 777 aircraft brought delegates for the five-day Afri-Caribbean Business Expo (ACBE) in Basseterre and was the first time a Nigerian carrier has landed in St. Kitts and Nevis.

The conference was curated by Aquarian Consult, a management-consulting and human-capital-development firm based here.

Drew noted that while the flight was a charter, Afreximbank was the catalyst, adding that the flight demonstrated “how we can improve trade between the Caribbean and Africa.

“So even though it was catalysed and started by the Afreximbank, you can see it’s already extended beyond their Afreximbank. For this was an initiative between (Aquarian Consult]) of course, the Minister of Culture and small business in St. Kitts and Nevis,” Drew said.

For IATF2025, AFreximbank has set aside a day for CARICOM, dubbed the diaspora day, “where we have all the diasporas coming to showcase what they have.

“And I think that’s the whole essence of that conversation,” he said, acknowledging that previous editions of the fair focused on Africa only.

“… but what we are now trying to do is to create a bigger Africa-Caribbean market, where it’s no longer Africa showcasing, but it’s also Caribbean coming in to say, ‘This is who we are. This is what we have to offer to the table.’”

He said that together, Africa and the Caribbean constitute an even bigger market.

“And the good thing is that once Africa is in the (room) and Caribbean comes in, it’s a case of demand meet supply, and everybody we have that vision to create a bigger market, which is something that we’ve all dreamed about,” Ihejirika said.

“So significantly, the AITF is playing that role, and we hope to see a lot more Caribbean participation from the last edition, when we had that in Egypt, you know, because I see a lot of positive interest, I will say, in that area, and I hope that resonates a lot more.”

Afreximbank is also preparing to host the Fourth Annual AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF2025), from July 28 – 29 in St. George’s, Grenada.

“ACTIF for us is our convening. Is a place where we leverage on our convening power to bring in the who is who in business in Africa and the Caribbean, and it’s as simple as that,” Ihejirika said.

“… what we realised is that we are trying to address one difficult problem, which is the problem of trade, boosting international trade between Africa and the Caribbean,” Ihejirika said, adding that before ACTIF, there was no single place where businesses, policy makers and other decision makers would sit in the same place to discuss the issue.

“So ACTIF has provided that platform and is working rapidly,” he said, adding that the previous editions in Barbados, Guyana and The Bahamas were “huge successes” with a collective attendance of over 6,000 people in attendance, and deals worth over US$202 billion signed.

“That’s a bold statement. So what we are now doing is to leverage on that success for the next edition,” he added.