After a decision to change the venue from the Mar-riott Hotel to the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), the AfriCarib-bean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF23) has now reverted to its original host location as space at the ACCC has proven to be inadequate.
“We would like to inform you of an important update regarding the venue for the second edition of the AfriCaribbean Trade & Investment Forum. The Forum will now revert to our initial venue, Marriott Hotel, Georgetown, Guy-ana. Apologies for the inconvenience this may have caused,” an email on Thursday to delegates stated.
Guyana is hosting an Agri-Investment Forum and Expo from October 20-22 and changes have been made at the ACCC to accommodate booths and tents. The ACTIF23 trade and investment forum will be held one week later on October 30-31. The dome at the ACCC has capacity for a maximum of 300 persons and at least 750, or more than double the dome’s seating capacity, are expected for the sessions. Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), Ambassa-dor Elisabeth Harper, who is spearheading the event, last week updated this newspaper and stated that preparations were underway and that this country will be ready to host the anticipated 1500 foreigners.
“Preparations are ongoing. We had one reconnaissance team and are expecting another. We were going to use the Marriott Hotel but that changed to the Arthur Chung Conference Centre because it is larger and allows for the breakout sessions… but we will be ready,” Harper had told this newspaper.
The ACTIF23 trade and investment forum will also see in attendance some 22 Heads of Government or their representatives and an anticipated 1,500 foreign delegates from over 100 countries. Under the theme “Creating a Shared Pros-perous Future”, Afrexim-bank says that the conference will focus on consolidating commercial collaborations between the Caribbean region and Africa for increased inter-regional trade and investment and building on the successes of the inaugural edition held in Barbados last year. When Minister of Foreign Affairs Hugh Todd had announced the hosting, he said that “Guyana looks forward to hosting the second AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum. We are keen to actively harness the potential of our economic relations as we build on the historic ties between Africa and the Caribbean.”
For his part, President of Afreximbank, Professor Benedict Oramah had said that gauging from the success of the inaugural event in Barbados, he believed that there would be significant growth and opportunities between African countries and those in the region. The inaugural event (in Barbados) had welcomed over 1,267 delegates from 108 countries, including participants from 50 African countries, 13 Caribbean countries, and countries from regions as far away as Oceania, a communique following the event had stated.
“Going by the impressive gains we have recorded in less than one year since ACTIF2022, we have every reason to look forward to a further deepening of commercial relationships between Africa and the Caribbean when we meet in Georgetown, Guyana. We are exceedingly grateful to the Government of Guyana for agreeing to host this important bridge-building Forum,” the Afreximbank president said.
The AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum was introduced in 2022 to enhance growth in trade and investment between Africa and the Caribbean, including air links, tourism, technology transfer, financial stability, food security, industrialisation and cultural ties.
