ALGIERS, Algeria (Chatnewstv.com) — Global Africa Diaspora Day at the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2025) on Monday brought together heads of state, senior government officials, business leaders, and cultural icons from across Africa, the Caribbean and the Diaspora, with a renewed call for unity and economic sovereignty.
Delivering the keynote address, Prof. Benedict Oramah, president of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), said Global Africa must evolve into a cohesive market of nearly two billion people.
“The work ahead of us is to use the force of our collective endeavours and knowledge to build a solid economy for ourselves and by ourselves,” Oramah said. “We must produce within our communities, sell within our communities, and take pride in consuming what is produced within our communities.”
Oramah added that the vision of Global Africa was “Pan-Africanism underpinned by markets and by the capital we own and control.” He called the Algiers event “pivotal in driving that new agenda.”
The gathering opened with remarks from Sifi Ghrieb, Algeria’s acting prime minister, and included addresses by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who chairs the IATF Advisory Council; Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley; St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Terrance Drew; and Grenada Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell, who delivered a pre-recorded statement.
Drew said Global Africa represented both continuity and renewal.
“Global Africa is not a new idea,” Drew said. “It is the continuation of a great journey to mend a past that was broken and to secure a future rooted in unity and sovereignty.”
The program also featured cultural showcases from Ghanaian-British designer Ozwald Boateng and Algerian architect Chafik Gasmi, alongside discussions on creativity, cross-border trade, and redefining Africa’s place in global narratives.
Oramah announced plans for a Global Africa Commission and said cultural initiatives such as Africa–Caribbean sporting activities would complement the economic agenda.
Panels during the day addressed themes such as business collaboration without borders and decolonising global narratives, with contributions from ministers, academics, entrepreneurs and creatives from across Africa, the Caribbean, Europe and the United States.
The IATF, organized by Afreximbank, the African Union Commission and the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, runs through the week in Algiers.
