The CARO Centre recently had the privilege of sponsoring the first AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum. The Centre was represented by Marie-Camille Pitton, Secretary General of the CARO Centre; John Bassie, a lawyer, arbitrator, mediator and Vice-President of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators; and Solène Balaguette, a legal expert at CARO.

The topic of the Forum, which was held in Barbados from September 1 to 3, 2022, was: One People. One Destiny. Uniting and Reinventing our Future.

This historic event - organised by Afreximbank, Invest Barbados and Export Barbados - brought together more than 750 delegations from Africa and the Caribbean representing the public and private sectors. The Forum examined trade and investment issues, with a total of over 2,000 participants.

The project was devised during the official visit to Barbados of a delegation from the African Export and Import Bank (Afreximbank) on September 27 to 30, 2021. The visit followed on from the inaugural Africa/CARICOM Summit on September 7, 2021. The virtual summit was attended by: the heads of state and government of CARICOM and the African Union; the presidents of CARICOM and the African Union Commission; the African Regional Economic Communities; the secretaries general of CARICOM and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS); and the president of the Caribbean Development Bank.

On the opening day, Marie-Camille Pitton, Secretary General of the CARO Centre, was invited to contribute to the panel on the theme: Accelerating Industrialisation and Manufacturing in Africa and the Caribbean through Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and Industrial Parks (IPs). The panel was intended to consider how Africa and the Caribbean region will set up production methods for promoting mutually beneficial trade relations between the two regions. The discussions focused on inter-regional value chains and their role in stimulating the structural transformation of Africa and the Caribbean. The importance of SEZs and IPs was highlighted.

The Hon. Betty C. Maina, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and Enterprise Development, Republic of Kenya, delivered the introductory remarks.

The panel moderator was Omar Ben Yedder, Editor and Head of Publications at the IC Publications group. The panel consisted of the following speakers:

• Amany Asfour, President of the Africa Business Council
• Alain Saraka, Head of Strategy at ARISE IIP & ISARISE IIP, ARISE IS and ARISE P&L
• Marie-Camille Pitton, Secretary-General of the CARO Centre
• Janis Williams, Senior Director of Legal Services, Jamaica Special Economic Zone Authority
• Rene Awambeng, Global Manager responsible for customer relations at the African Export-Import Bank
• Patrick Antoine, Managing and Technical Director, CARICOM Private Sector Organisation

Marie-Camille Pitton was keen to emphasise the importance of setting up mechanisms for anticipating and resolving disputes in these Special Economic Zones (SEZs). Disputes can disrupt the entire production chain with highly damaging consequences, particularly for SEZs devoted to industrial production. Marie-Camille also stressed how important it is to set high standards for protecting the rights of people working in these areas. She added that mediation can play a decisive role in guaranteeing that they are applied effectively and for preventing disputes in this area.

On the second day, Marie-Camille introduced CARO's services - The CARO Centre: Providing Dispute Resolution Services in the Caribbean and Beyond.

This three-day meeting gave rive to crucial discussions on the future of trade relations between Africa and the Caribbean. It was also an opportunity to share areas of expertise, establish ties and highlight the decisive role of Alternative Dispute Resolution Methods in the context of this historic rapprochement between the Caribbean region and Africa.

Click here to find out more about the AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum 2022: https://africaribbean-trade-investment-forum-2022.b2match.io

For further information, please contact: secretariat@carohadac.org

Find out more about the CARO Centre's range of services: https://www.carohadac.org