Addressing regional and international delegates, Prime Minister Pierre outlined two clear objectives that should guide both public and private sector leaders.

“All of us in this room have two purposes. One, to create wealth—if you're in business, you want to create wealth and make a profit. And two, if you're a politician, you want to improve the lives of people. You want to improve the quality of life of people. You want to improve their standard of living,” he said.

While the forum focused heavily on trade, investment, and unlocking new business opportunities between the Caribbean and Africa, Pierre stressed that the human dimension of the partnership must not be overlooked.

“We can’t assume that the years of history, when people didn’t really know what Africa was about or what the potential of Africa was, have automatically resolved themselves,” Pierre noted. “While we develop all the economic factors and the business factors, we have to ensure that the people are not left behind.”

He advocated for stronger educational and cultural exchanges to complement commercial activity.

“We have to ensure that our children think of going to study in Africa, or going to study in some other country. We have to think that the people in our region want to buy goods from Africa.”

The 2025 Africaribbean Trade and Investment Forum continues to position Africa and the Caribbean as strategic partners in shaping a new south-south development model, built on shared history and mutual potential.