AQUARIAN CONSULT'S AFRI-CARIBBEAN INVESTMENT SUMMIT 2026 (DAY TWO)

forever. Thank you. Please be seated.

Good morning, distinguished guests, speakers, partners, and all our amazing participants. Welcome once again to day two of this powerful gathering on the theme, "One Voice, One Vision, Advancing AfroCaribbean Unity." My name is Carla Beridge, and I am truly delighted to be your co-host for today. I bring you warm greetings from St. Kitts and Nevis, and I must say, we are very well represented here this week, not just in numbers, but in energy and presence.

Yesterday, we had meaningful conversations, strong insights, and let's be honest, some great networking moments as well. Today, we build on that. We go deeper. We connect the dots between ideas and real opportunities. So, settle in, stay engaged, and let's make today count.

Before we dive in, let's take a quick moment to reconnect with yesterday because a lot has happened. I'll invite my co-host to give us a brief recap.

Thank you, Carla, for that warm welcome. Your Excellencies, very distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good morning. What an electrifying day one of the 2026 AfroCaribbean Investment Summit, held under the theme, "One Voice, One Vision, Advancing AfroCaribbean Unity." We returned today with even greater energy and renewed purpose.

Yesterday, we engaged in thought-provoking conversations across three powerful panels, exploring how to bridge the financing gap for transatlantic collaboration, how to deepen partnerships within the creative and cultural industries, and how to build practical investment frameworks that will shape the AfroCaribbean future. We're honored to have a keynote address from Her Regal Majesty, the Lori of Ephair, and an unforgettable opening cocktail evening filled with vibrant performances.

Just with a show of hands, if you had the cocktail yesterday, can I see your hand? Thank you. I'm looking. I'm saying, put your hands up so I can look at your faces, because the people I saw in the morning were different from the people I experienced that night. Wow. So, seeing everybody suited up now, I'm just looking with a side eye.

Today, we go even further. Further with dialogue, further with collaboration, and further in our commitment to a stronger, more united, and more prosperous AfroCaribbean community.

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, my name is A, the host, and I'm honored today to serve as a co-master of ceremony for this prestigious gathering. Long before policies, partnerships, and investments, there were stories. Stories that defined who we are, where we're from, and where we're going. Few industries have carried the stories across borders as powerfully as Nollywood, growing from a local movement into a global cultural and economic force.

This fireside chat we're about to delve into, themed "The Evolution of Nollywood: Storytelling, Industry Building, and the Path to Africa's Creative Industry Growth," invites us to explore how storytelling can become strategy. How creativity can become industry, and how Africa and the Caribbean can grow together through the power of film and culture.

Moderating this panel is the CEO of BIK Entertainment. Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, can we please welcome Miss KK Bongos Equ? Round of applause for her, please.

While she's making her way to the stage, I'm going to... She's not going to be handing this panel alone. She's going to be joined by two Amazons, and I'm going to be reading their bios. Our first panelist is a CEO of Afrey Media Entertainment. What does it mean to use storytelling as a tool for change? Not just as a metaphor, but as a genuine, intentional instrument for shifting how people see themselves, how communities understand their own power, and how continents connect across cultures and commerce. This is a question at the heart of this fireside chat. And our next guest has spent her entire career answering this question. Dr. Eli Notag is a CEO of Afrey Media Entertainment, as she brings to this stage a body of work that sits at the intersection of media, narrative, and creative enterprise across continents. Her vision has always been larger than one that African stories are told with ambition and distributed with intention, and have the power to do more than entertain. That vision has been recognized at the highest levels of the creative community. She has been honored as one of the emerging female writers of the decade by the National Black Arts Festival, one of the most respected platforms for black enterprise artistic expression in the world. And she has been named a generational barrier breaker by the Black Film Festival, a title that speaks not just to individual achievements, but to the kind of legacy that reshapes what is possible for those to come after. Please, one more time, a round of applause for Dr. Elyn Otagby, PhD, MNI.

It is my honor to introduce our next panelist. She's an award-winning actress, activist, and executive director, Center for Creative Arts Education, Nigeria. Nollywood is one of the most extraordinary cultural phenomena of our time. From modest beginnings, it grew into the second largest film industry in the world by volume. Driven not by government policy or institutional backing, but by the sheer creative force of people who showed up and made it happen. Our next panelist, ladies and gentlemen, is one of those people. Hilda Dubo entered the Nigerian film industry in 1992, at the very moment Nollywood was finding its feet, and she has been one of the most enduring and respected voices ever since. An award-winning actress with decades of experience across film and television, she has brought depth, range, and integrity to every role she has taken up. She's an author, an activist, and a life skill trainer, and a social justice advocate who has never been afraid to use her platform for the things that matter. She has marched against gender-based violence, spoken out against police brutality, and consistently put her voice and her reputation behind causes that are larger than herself. She holds a bachelor's and master's degree in theater art from the University of Port Harcourt, and she has turned that academic foundation into something deeply practical. As executive director of the Center for Creative Arts Education, known as Create, she has built an institution that uses the arts to empower women and young people, particularly in post-conflict communities. Every year, hundreds of young people are trained in the creative skills. Dozens of women are supported to start businesses and schools across the region, and are reached with the message that talent is not a luxury, it's a pathway. She's a veteran of the screen and a builder of futures.

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, please, with a warm applause, your icon, my icon, Miss Hilda Dubov. A round of applause for her.

KK, you did justice to the panel yesterday, and I am certain today would be nothing less. Over to you.

Thank you very much. Um, just even I had my own introduction, but I'm very glad that you did a much better job than I would have done. Um, definitely, it's a privilege for us to be in the midst of, like you rightly said, um, two great Amazons, um, who clearly and evidently have made a real heavy path in, um, the Nollywood industry. Um, Nollywood really is an, uh, an industry that started just purely from storytelling. You know, it started from us just wanting to tell our stories to each other. I'm not sure it even started out with us thinking about everybody else, but it was more so, let's tell our own stories. And it's such a unique industry where it just started from just that to becoming an industry that cannot be ignored in Nigeria, um, and really in the entire world because right now, I don't think there's anybody who truly would say they don't know somebody that knows Nollywood or they don't know Nollywood themselves. So, um, it's a privilege to be amongst people who have been a part of the beginning of the story. And, um, I have my sto, my questions here prepared, but something just tells me, like, one of the first things we want to even delve into before we go into the globalness of the industry, to hearing you guys tell, like, your firsthand experiences on from, uh, being introduced into the industry or being introduced into the concept of telling our stories on TV, in actual theater. I'll be happy to hear you.

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Um, the entertainment industry has been here for a very long time. From, um, the colonial masters. I'm talking about Nigeria now, when, um, we started the first exhibition in 1903, and subsequently, we had people like Huba Gundi, we had Kolaumola. These were, um, the Yoruba theater artists, and they told stories on satire on the colonial masters. Then came Nigeria's independence in 1960, and, of course, the Indigenization Act of 1972, which ensured that, uh, ownership moved from the colonial masters to Nigerians. And this was a beautiful time for Nigeria's industry, um, in the entertainment industry because, um, we had the NTA that was now brought on board from the regions, and, um, then we had indigenous stories like Cockraon, we had the Samanja stories, we had Bill Master, we had Behind the Clouds, of which I was a member. My journey started in 1984 with, um, Edu Gumar's film was shot on Celuloid, "The Death of the Black President," before, um, going to "Behind the Clouds." U, the entertainment industry has been evolving, and it also involves due to policies, but the important thing is that we want to tell our stories. We wish to tell our stories.

Then came the, um, period where, 1992, "Living in Bondage," which was supposed to be like the very start, where, um, people started making movies, low budget, massive turnout. Films were shot like, I think that was when we got the reputation of being, um, >> yes, you know, but we became the second largest industry, um, in the world. And then, of course, we moved from there. We now came to, um, the digital period. Oh, well, before then, we went to a point where in 2009, uh, Kemi Adetiba came up with, uh, "The Wedding Party," that was high budget for that period, and went back into theater releases. And now we are at the digital stage. So, over the time, um, I have been involved at each stage, um, shooting films until I, of course, I went abroad and continued shooting films even in the diaspora and writing books as well. So, that is, in brief, the journey, um, of the industry for me.

Can I kind of bring everybody back to the to attention that she said she started in 1984? >> Yes. >> You all see her. >> She didn't start as four years old. >> No, I did not. >> You look amazing. >> We don't have, we didn't have no child actors then. >> No, no, no. >> Yeah. So, just to show you how amazing she looks. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> All right. Auntie Hilda, you're popularly known as Auntie Hilda. So, please, we want to hear your. I know you speak very dramatically. So, I'm like, really looking forward. She spoke very academically as a PhD holder. Now, you're going to speak as the artist, the thespian that you still are today.

Okay. So, unlike her, I didn't start in 1984. Before I started as a 7-year-old on radio, anchoring a children's program, cuz I was a child at the time, um, from radio to stage again as a kid actor on stage, dancing and singing around. And then in 1992, I went, oh no, before that, um, right after secondary school, I anchored on AR TV, River State Television, as a continuity announcer. And then that was where I left for the university straight up, uh, right after university, youth service, and I got into Nollywood straight. So, the short version, that's what I just shared. There's a longer version, but let's look at the short version of Nigerian's story to where we are. At every point, something has led to a change. Um, at the point where Hat Gundi and Cole were, poverty and hunger and military regime led to scarcity, and they needed to do something different because at this point, we couldn't edit anywhere around Nigeria. The closest was South Africa. >> And because there was so much going on politically, there was a need therefore for productions to be done at a cheaper cost and very closely done at home, and that's how the television programs started. During the same military regime, there was also the clampdown on social activism, and again, poverty and hunger. And in 1992, it was a shortcut to reintroducing entertainment to our people, making it safe for them because it was direct to home viewing, making it cheaper because we could produce with as little at the time as $10,000. Um, and made the equipment close to home because at the time, we would shoot with Betacam, SVHS, and they were, you know, good pictures for the period. And then came also, they moved to a more digital process, and today we shoot on anything that Hollywood is shooting on. So, we have actually evolved over time, and every time we have evolved because a need is identified. The need to bring entertainment to our people. The need to keep telling our story, our own way, ourselves, using everything from us apart from equipment. We have created our own stars following our own strategy. We have identified our own talents. We have identified the stories that are important to us, the stories that people want to hear from us. And we have used it not just to educate people, but to also engage them and to empower them. We have used our stories to inspire the kind of change that we want. And we're still building. So our story will keep evolving even after this conversation. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Um, I'll, so I'll continue with you. Um, you have what you're working on right now. Don't worry, I won't go into that explosive question yet, but you're working on Tikiri. Um, I would like to kind of hear the, Okay, great. I would like to hear the background of it and, um, maybe even how it ties into what we are discussing, the general conversation. Thankfully, you were here from the beginning yesterday. So I would like to hear.

>> Okay, so Tikiri in my language means playground. And, um, as a theater artist, we play and work, and work and play. So we learn every day through playing. And I wanted to, um, train people using that methodology of play and learn. Um, I have always done something around that neighborhood of engaging young people because for me, our story is who we are. Our story is what we are identified by. And if we don't get the young ones ready for what's in front of them, then they won't know exactly what to do. So I had started off, Center for Creative Arts Education, going to the communities, um, at the time, crisis-torn communities, and we would use dramatization to tell the story of the crisis, help the people identify conflict points, and use the same method in getting them engaged to seriously engage government and actors around the crisis, and we were able to restore peace in a lot of the communities that we worked. So this time, we have worked, you know, a lot in Lagos, and life looked like it was built only around Lagos and people who are resident in Lagos. But let me say this very proudly, my people, the Ejor, Niger Delta people of Nigeria, we have rich, rich culture, rich, rich songs, rich personalities. King Jaja is from my place. Aaso is mine. So we have stories about goddesses and gods and deities. We have stories about people. More is, um, Yoruba. But I also have Akasuba. I have Wangi. And so we can tell all the stories. And I wanted the stories told and for people to understand our history through playing with them, through singing with them. And that's how we got to Tikiri. So now we're identifying people with great talents, especially people who can tell stories, original stories, culturally rich stories, heritage-bound stories. I wanted that embedded in all of us so that we can identify and be proud of who we are and not be embarrassed by it. Because, you know, um, right now, we're all acting like if you don't go to Lagos or Abuja, nothing can happen in Southern Nigeria. And no, I, I think we're richer than that. All the cities in Nigeria can come alive by all of this exchange. And, um, I'm proud to also announce that yes, we're doing it, and the young people are getting really excited about it. And now people are asking questions about our stories, the folklore, the songs, and everything, and why this is not taught in school. And God bless me, I'll be proud and glad to take it to the schools if I have to. So that's why we're building the campuses across the Delta.

Okay. So, while we're having this, while you're saying this, and we're actually in a room where we're actually having multi-million dollar conversations, and it's surrounding investments in the entertainment space, in the creative space. So indeed, I will ask you very, very carefully and intentionally, is there, is, is money in this room? Monies that have gone in and out of the system? Are they reaching people doing the work that you're doing?

>> Uh, no, or does it stop at the top? No, it's, um, >> the money is not trickling down because if it was, I'll probably be getting part of this money. And please, if anyone has anyone for me, can you just indicate? I'll come and get it because my people need that money to tell their stories and to reach the rest of the world. Like I said before, because, um, including investors themselves, they want to hold their conversations where they think those conversations belong. She's been working her whole life. She needs to become a mentor. And she is indeed a mentor right now. But we need to build young entertainers, young storytellers, young producers, and we need the money to do that. Otherwise, what we're going to end up doing is recycling the same people. Recycling. And and that's what's killing, um, everything. It will kill the arts. It will kill, it will kill anything. It will kill businesses because then how do you tell your stories? Are you going to tell the stories about, um, future, or are you going to tell the stories about past? Where are you going to hit your stories? So it would be nice, really, to take the money conversations down to the people who are actually doing the work, invite them, and hold the conversation on how do we get this money to actually do positive work for everybody.

Okay. So, um, Dr. Good evening. Um, she's mentioned it, almost seems like there's some sort of a bottleneck, you know, as to how it's not, it's actually not like it's even trickling down, but it seems to just be stopping somewhere. You coming from, uh, academic slash more technical and structured space, what do you think is missing?

Well, um, the children should be, um, the focus, really. Yes. Um, I'm going to use an example from, um, one of my books that was used in the college in the United States. >> Um, so this book was on NOG by, it's called "Nobby the Cage Leopard." It had to do with the invasion of Benin. Now, when this book was introduced into the school, I was invited to speak to the young people, and there was a mixed group, of course, and there was this conversation that this was not real. They did not believe because the, the angle from which I took the story did not resonate with what they had heard because they had not been told from our perspective. So they said to me, "No, um, we know about the slave trade. We know that Africans sold us." I'm talking about mainly, um, African-Americans. Africans, this you guys sold us. And I said to them, there is no mother, there is no father who would sit back and watch his household being plundered by anybody else and not put up some form of resistance. The stories that you are being told are from the perspective of the West. This is what happened. And yes, there could have been one or two bad eggs, but Africans put up a fight, and that is the true story. What did that give to those children? It gave them pride. It gave them a legacy. Many of them, many of them did not have roots, but this changed their perspective, and they went further. I mean, you can tell that many of them are now trying to get back to their roots, trying to do this DNA search, you know. So, it is important for us to teach the young ones the true story. There should be funds set aside, government funds, to actually cater for young people. Nigeria currently has a huge youth demographic, and like I always tell people, it's like sitting on a keg of gunpowder that is going to erupt any day soon if they are not channeled into, you know, uh, productivity. And the good thing about the film and theater industry, and now the digital, uh, revolution, is that the youth, it's, it's, it's their life. They move towards these platforms. We should now use these platforms to teach about our history because if you don't know your history, you don't have anything. So, it is, there has to be an intentionality about what we are doing. We have to know that we are leaving a generation who would have no depth if we do not teach them about our stories and our history.

I love it. Why I'm loving it is because you're, you're naturally taking us to the next question that I need to ask you. >> Okay. >> I'm going to change your microphone because it's giving me feedback. Sorry. So, you mentioned being in Atlanta, and I love what you just said about, um, actually going into the communities to interact with the, the young people. Um, now young people, older people, old people. Um, where there has to, is there some sort of interaction between the African and, um, and the Caribbean communities that you have observed side by side? Are they actually watching each other's content? I think, I mean, I know I did live in the US for a bit, and I know I love, there was a period in my life all I was listening to was Soca and Dancehall. And yeah, I, yeah, I was okay. But now, for me, that was just beyond, that was just music, right? So beyond that, we're talking film, we're talking the like outfits, um, you know, uh, fashion. Are you, and since you're actually deep in the industry over there, like, were we sharing each other? Were we feeling each other?

Yes, to an extent because, um, it seems to me that the, uh, population of Africans and Caribbeans outside, kind of connect more for some reason. They are more patriotic and they are full of pride about, you know, the motherland. And so there are opportunities where they actually do come together to work together. I know there's the Cross Continental Forum that, um, you know, they, they had events like this to encourage the, um, Caribbean and African community. Um, in 2012, I set up a network called the Daswood Network, and at the same time, set up an online streaming platform called Das TV, where, um, I sought works from filmmakers across the Caribbean and, um, Africa. It was very tough because, um, the, the target then was to, um, showcase the immigrant community and their experiences, and to ensure that these messages got to the motherland. But, um, unfortunately, you know, there was the internet issues back here in, in Nigeria, you know, so a lot of those works were not seen, and eventually, um, we couldn't buy a lot of, um, yes, we couldn't buy so much titles. So, yes, there's, there's a synergy between the African and the Caribbean community. Could be better, definitely. Now, the problems that we have are, of course, almost everybody, well, people in the, in the diaspora, they are paying bills. They are working hard. They may not have the time or the resources to put into, um, you know, the film work and, um, festivals and all that. But the good thing is there are organizations that are coming forward now to help to create that synergy between the African and the Caribbean community. And it is very important that we are intentional, particularly with this kind of conference that we are having. It's important that we are intentional for us to know that we are no longer looking from outside. We are part of the story now. We are, we own the narrative now. We need to actually use our pen to write our stories the way that we know that they should be written. And nobody's going to do it for us. We have to do it for ourselves. So, it is important that we have conversations like this to help us move to the next level.

Do you have anything to add to what you just said?

Yes. First, I just need for us to know that we're all stories. Every single one of us in this room, we are a story. And except we tell our stories, people will keep in their attempt at telling our stories, misinform others about who we truly are. Um, the first time somebody said to me, "We watch your film every time." And I looked at her, she was not a Nigerian. She was from the Caribbean. We were both not in our homes. We were on the streets of London trying to shop. And she called up everyone else. And I had to smile for like five minutes taking pictures. This is not just my story. It's the story of every good entertainer anywhere. But if we don't share, if we don't share our experiences now, we've watched movies on slave trade. We've seen some of the disinformation contained in those movies. We have watched documentaries about us and how we live, and we know that most of it is somebody's imagination. There's no truth to it. So for me, um, when we look at storytelling, we should look beyond us and begin to look at the other people who were not in this room at this very moment, who were not born now, who will come to the world and not know the truth about who we truly are. So basically, it's about, what do we want people to see?

>> Authenticity.

>> Right. Okay. Now, um, I would like to, I think, kind of flowing with what you're saying, I would like to ask each of you, just briefly, maybe just one sentence, because I know we are getting short of time, um, if you are speaking directly to the people in this room who are all policymakers, who are all policymakers, if you're speaking to everybody, um, somebody or a few people in this, um, what do you believe the policymakers should consider? What should they do next that can click, you know, that can create that click that we are sitting down here for? Not just money. Yes, money is very important, but what else can they do to like, just have that, yes, we're there, can deliver our messages?

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, if I'm taken away from here by the DSS, please arrest her. I'm about being me. If there's any policymaker in this room, the first thing you need to know is that money is hidden in hunger, and Nigerians are hungry. What you need to identify right now is to identify the number of people who are gifted in the art of storytelling and giving life to that story, and giving incentives for them to stay in practice. And encourage anyone from any part of the globe who wants to partner with us to build our stories. Make the offices conducive for the practitioners to approach them. It's an embarrassment that you go to an office, you want to tell a story about that office, and you are locked out of that office in your country. It's very embarrassing because if people cannot get into the proper police stations, they can't recreate the police station. If they can't get into a proper court, they cannot recreate our judiciary system. So please, if you are a policymaker, please add for us that you cannot double tax entertainers. >> Mhm. >> You cannot, don't double tax us. It's useless. >> We work hard. We create the jobs. We're the second highest employer of youth labor. You cannot make us do your work for you and then you tax us for doing your work. It makes no sense. So tax incentives is what we would need now. Two, protection of the work that we do. You cannot give me the responsibility to be the one to arrest the pirates. It makes no sense. And then you put the charge for using my work for thieving. You are an armed robber for pirating my work. You tell the armed robber to go and you tell the owner of the property to pay. Why am I paying for what? For creating jobs. Have you ever been on a movie set before or a theater set before? The minimum people engaged in every work is a hundred. So I create jobs for 100 young people. I pay them, and multiply that by four. Then you see the number of people who eat because I'm working. And then I don't have anything protecting my work that comes from the government. The government can't go to arrest. And then when you put consequences, you say it is 5,000 naira. Please tell me why I won't pay you 50 and pirate 10. Is there any reason? So please get that part fixed for us. And three, it's very important that when you make scholarships available, don't rule us out. I do understand why art is always outside of scholarship. You are willing to give scholarship to engineers, to scientists. We are social engineers. Maybe we should change the name. >> Yeah. Yeah. I like that. I like. So please include us in the scholarship list. And finally, in every office, create a desk for us. And what do I mean? One day, somebody will need to know the story of that ministry, of that agency, and they would go to that desk to get that story. That would be my five kobo. Thank you.

>> Five kobo. That, that's way more than five kobo, but very good nuggets. You kind of hit, you hit something with me when, um, you talked about, um, the scholarships because with, without that extra, um, exposure to our young people on, um, what it means to create a story, it'll end up consistently being haphazard. >> Yeah. You know, so there needs to be some sort of, um, additional training and exposure to see how it's done in what we call the West. >> Exactly. >> Yes. So I agree.

>> Um, for policymakers, you see, everything is about the money. Everything is about the money. Show me the money, and the policies will follow most of the time. The industry is a multi-billion dollar industry right now. And that is why you see so many people in government getting very involved in the creative sector. As a matter of fact, President Bola Tinubu asked the National Institute for this year's theme to be on the creative economy for them, for entrepreneurship, and all that, because they realize that this industry is contributing so much now to the GDP. But in the industry, we also have things that we have to take care of. Show business is not just about show. >> There's the business part of it. Many of, of, of us creatives do not really hone our skills in the business part. Maybe that should be included in the curriculum everywhere that you must have a level of business administration. You must do something so that you can understand the technicalities involved in the show and the business of the show business. We also need to study our environment, do our PESTALs, understand the political terrain, understand the social terrain that we are involved in. We have to know about our SWOT analysis. We have to know about the gaps. These are things that the creatives need to know because it's not an industry where just anybody comes. You have to be educated in it. You have to know your onions. When we start to do this and we show the seriousness and the business part, the policies will naturally follow. That's what I think.

Okay. Thank you. Um, that actually also answers the question towards, um, the creators, you know, because what you've just said is creators also need to get educated for business because that's what has caused a lot of, um, filmmakers to suffer.

>> Absolutely. And you know, in the Caribbean, when I went to BICE, for example, we were listening to music, there's no royalty really because we don't even know that it's our right. You know, so we need to get that education. We need to know. And of course, the policies have to be implemented. Unfortunately, often times we have the policies and they are not implemented. But now, with the, with, uh, Dr. Shibu as the, uh, Film and Censorship Board, uh, executive secretary, we are beginning to see difference, difference coming up, you know, Obia and Alinu and the current minister, um, they are doing a lot in the industry to ensure that the policies, the government policies trickle down and they are actually implemented. Can you tell them to please move away from being in one spot? Can, can they at least move away from just being in Lagos and Abuja? Can you ask them to go down? Come down south. Go up north. Get other people engaged. Life does not begin and end in Lagos and Abuja. Can we go up and go down? Please, just help me tell them.

>> Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. These, these laws and these policies are not regional or sectoral. >> Definitely. But the people in the regions don't know anything about them. >> So we need to create more awareness. There has to be more sensitivity. And private sector too has to come all out. >> So we need to drive this. That's the point of people here in Abuja who, if you ask at this very moment where, um, filmmakers or theater practitioners or even musicians meet, would not know, may not also know when there's a gathering to discuss what concerns them. Um, the beautiful thing about this process is that from the very beginning, we're seeing, um, the effort being made by the organizers to bring two, the two nations together, and is actually holding a conversation on it. And we can identify Uncle Steve. >> Yes. >> We know. So if something is happening and I'm told, please tell the people in this part of the country, it's easy. Why? Because I know Uncle Steve. So imagine that, which is what happens a lot of the times that you are invited and you don't know the Nigerian that is Nigerian representing Nigeria, and you are in the room, you're sitting down, and they're asking you, do you know that person? Who is this person? I don't know. They said, him, he flew in from somewhere. It's very embarrassing. So, we need to, um, let me just use this to say congratulations to every brain behind this effort and for also ensuring that actual practitioners are in the room to hear this announcement, to be part of the conversation. Thank you very much.

I think what's exciting me is that it feels like something is actually happening. We're not just talking. So, I'm, I'm quite excited, especially since we have policymakers and possible, um, investors and, uh, creators in the space. Um, what happened yesterday was, was very good for us. Um, the MOU that was signed. >> That's just the beginning, you know. And, um, I believe there will be more like that, you know, with our, um, I know we have, uh, over 400 million people between the two nations, between Africa and the Caribbeans. We have the audience. We have the, you know, we have the resources. We have the talent. All we need to be is to be intentional that this is what we want to do. So that we have, we need more of such, um, um, MOUs. Yes. And conversations. Yes.

>> Um, sorry, before I round up, there was something you had said about, um, how information needs to get to everybody. What, aside from, okay, now you know Uncle Steve, but then how else would you recommend the news can, the information can be more widespread? I know there are some WhatsApp groups that exist. I'm a part of some of them. But is there any other way that you know that we can try to get information out to just about everybody in the industry?

Um, one sure way is to call people and don't bother with who is where. We all can't reside in Lagos, otherwise the lifespan of our industry will just be the size of Lagos. It won't grow, and it needs to grow, and we won't keep recycling. It's ugly. Um, so I think that there are a few young people in here. For instance, I'll make sure that I step this down in the South. I'm going to share the information, and Uncle Steve and I started that conversation of him coming to Port Harcourt and then getting all of the Southern region to come together, hold the conversation. Another way of reaching everybody is when you write a story that is about a people, you're bound to go there. I remember one time, and I think it was in the early or mid-1990s, and um, we were trying to make a movie on King Jaja, and they took all of us to Enugu. The soil and the soil of Enugu and that of Opobo are two different. The sand in Opobo is gray. The sand in Enugu is brown. So when the movie came out, Opobo people were very quick to tell us that this was not done in Opobo. >> It's not our story. >> And they counted something as small as sand and architecture. >> It was very embarrassing. I think at the time they had to pull it out, and somebody else had to redo that movie. So we're all in this room, please each one tell one. Get the information to your region, to your people, so that by the time Uncle Steve is probably making rounds of the auditions and all of that, it would go through. But there's something more conventional that we all use. Please use radio, use the WhatsApp group, use the social media, use it lavishly. Be shameless about repeating it. Keep repeating the information until we all get it. Shoot outside of Lagos. Shoot anywhere else. Go to Jos. Go, I, I know, um, a few people are attempting to take productions now to Jos. So let's go to Jos. Let's go to Aba. Let's go. Nigeria is not big for nothing. Over 200 million people and 200-something ethnic nationalities. Let's be arrogant about this. Let's put it to work. Okay, we have all the numbers that we need. We have all the tribes that are available to us. If our wealth and our beauty is about our diversity, please let's engage them. Thank you.

Thank you. Our Amazons have spoken. So basically, what we have seen here is, I would say Nollywood showing us that greatness doesn't always have to start with structure. Mhm. >> It can come from the story that's inside. It was an improvised sector from the beginning. >> The story is always the most important thing. >> Yeah. >> The story, the authenticity, the originality of the story. And we have to have stakeholders' involvement. You can't be talking about somebody and the stakeholders are not in the room with you. And like right now, we're in a global space. So if we want to get everybody in the room, it's live there virtually, we can do that. So, you know, I think the sky is, we're just starting. There's a lot to do, right?

And just to encourage our Caribbean brothers and sisters that are in this room, um, if we had an idea when we started Nollywood that Nollywood was going to be this big, we probably would have been afraid. >> And maybe we never would have started if we ever had the idea that this was what it was going to become. Highest employer of youth labor, second largest in the world in terms of production. And if we even knew at the time when we were doing 50 movies in one week that we were going to get to this point, we all would have been too afraid of even starting. So don't be afraid of where you are at presently. Start telling your story. Start investing in your own people. Start feeding your people with your story. Let your people accept it and be the first marketers of this your concept. It will grow. Nigeria is already with you. So you already have plus 200 million people to feed off this dream. So we didn't know we had that number of people who will feed off our dreams. So please, let's make this a real big reality. Let it not just be paper being signed. Let it be people getting to work immediately. Thank you.

Thank you very much. And in order for this growth to be sustained, we need structure. >> Yes. Yes. >> Yes. And and I think that's exactly where our conversation, why conversations like this are important. Not just aspirations, but as architecture. >> Like you have said, we are >> social engineers. >> Social engineers. Let's take note of that. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Thank you. Please, I would love to refer to this as the Amazon panel. Please, a round of applause for the Amazon panel. We're going to take a quick photograph. I can't be the only one that was inspired by that. If you're inspired, can I see with a show of hands? Thank you. Please, a round of applause for them one more time.

The evolution of Nollywood is proof that storytelling can build industries, shape identities, and create bridges across oceans. And today, that bridge is leading Africa and the Caribbean towards a shared creative future. I hope you are excited about that. So, media team, let's take our pictures. Big smiles, everyone. Beautiful. Thank you.

Now, long before formal summits, trade agreements, or diplomatic conversations, music was already connecting people through shared rhythm, language, history, and identity. Music is extremely important in advancing African unity because it's one of the strongest cultural bridges between Africa and the Caribbean. Taking us further is one of Grenada's leading female artists, carving a unique space in contemporary Caribbean music with her fusion of pop, dancehall, and soul. Born in Grenada, her passion for music began in childhood, and her sound reflects real emotions, life experiences, and strong Caribbean youth. She's not your average island girl, but a rising global voice. Distinguished guest, ladies and gentlemen, Cole Bad. A round of applause for her for her brief performance.

Good morning, everybody. I'm so excited to be here. Okay, get the music started. Let's go.

(Music plays)

Mr. Media Guy, we ready for the next one? Now, I think in bridging the gap, we must reflect on the journey our ancestors had when they crossed the Atlantic. And I think this is the opportunity to think about the connection between our African ancestors and who we are today. Jeal representing Grenada, the spice island of the Caribbean. As soon as we wake up, we feel we ancestors right there. We had no worries. The day left in the spirits lead the way. Hands up in the sky. Drums calling. Sun rising high. We inside. Jump. I'm feeling love in the air. It's a day feeling everywhere. We belong to the man. This is culture. I'm calling shy. That's what we call Holy long blood. Feeling is multiplying with us. On keeping the good rolling. So we know it's been playing till the morning. No stressing. And up in the air. Jump. I'm feeling in love in the air. It's still a day feeling everywhere. We belong to the river. This is the culture. Let me share. The Caribbean is here in the building. Thank you so much. I'm so excited to be here and thank you so much for having me. Thank you.

Beautiful island girl energy all while promoting AfroCaribbean unity. Another round of applause for Cole. Thank you, Cole.

We now turn our conversations to, we now turn our attention to another important conversation: "Storytelling as Strategy: The Creative Economy as a Driver of AfroCaribbean Trade." This one is especially interesting because it challenges us to see storytelling not as just art, but as influence, as positioning, and as business. And of course, none of that goes without one key thing: access to finance. So, we'll also be diving into how we find creativity, scale it, and make it sustainable. This discussion will feature Aisha Aguay Augi, I'll ask her to correct me if needed, and Dr. Jade Okiki, as they make their way to the stage.

There is a question that sits at the heart of everything we are doing here today. What is culture actually for? Is it a record of the past? A source of identity? A diplomatic tool? Or is it something more fundamentally economic? A foundation upon which industries are built, partnerships formed, and sustainable growth made possible? Our next panelist has a very clear answer to that question, and she has spent the past year turning that answer into action. Aisha Oay is the Director General of the Center for Black and African Arts and Civilization, appointed by President Tinubu in January 2024, making her the first creative arts specialist to lead the institution in its history. CBAC is not a small mandate. Born out of the legacy of FESTAC '77, the landmark festival that brought together 59 nations of the black and African world in Lagos, it carries a continental responsibility to preserve, promote, and propagate black and African heritage in

Its totality. What she has done with that mandate in just over one year is remarkable. She has repositioned CBAC as a genuine Panaffrican heritage hub, expanding its international reach through cultural diplomacy partnerships, launching the Panaffrican indigenous skills development program, digitizing archives for use by filmmakers, designers, and musicians, and taking the cent's shared heritage digital exhibition to audiences in the United States, Germany, Bulgaria, and China.

When she hosted the 2024 day of the African Child under the theme bridging heritage and innovation, she made a statement that went far beyond the event itself, that culture is not separate from technology or economic development. It is the foundation upon which both must be built. She brings to this role a profile that is rear in public service. She's a multi-awwardwinning photographer and filmmaker, a UNICEF highlevel women advocate on education, a TED X curator and speaker, and a former adviser to the government at both state and federal levels. She has exhibited her art at Art Basil in Miami. She founded a nonprofit dedicated to bridging talent, financing, and intellectual property law. She has in short lived the creative economy from the inside and now she is shaping its policy from the top. Welcome Aisha.

And now Dr. Jade Oki. Development is a word that gets used often in conversations about Africa. But what does it actually require? It requires more than financing or infrastructure. It requires at its core a cleareyed understanding of its political, social and institutional forces that shape what is possible on this continent. And it requires people who are willing to work across all of those dimensions at once with the patience and the intellectual rigor that works that work demands.

Our next panelist is one of those people. Dr. Jade UK is the director of the regional program for Africa at the United Nations Development Program, UNDP. His career is a study in serious sustained engagement with the questions that matter most for Africa's future. At UNDP, he has worked at the intersection of governance, peaceuilding, youth empowerment, and sustainable development, not as separate silos, but as deeply connected dimensions of the same challenge. He has written and spoken with conviction about how Africa's growing Jenzi population is reshaping governance norms from the ground up using digital tools and distributed networks to hold institutions accountable in ways that previous generations could not. He understands that development on this continent is no longer something that happens to young people. It is increasingly something that young people are driving. He also understands the role of narrative. He has written powerfully about Africa's need to reclaim its own story to move beyond the fragmented headlines and build a media and communications ecosystem that reflects the continent's full reality, its struggles, yes, but equally its perseverance, its creativity, and its potential. in a conversation about culture, creative enterprise and economic transformation across Africa. His voice is one we could not do without. Please welcome Dr. Jade Oki.

Hello. Good morning. Um, so I guess we'll stand on the already existing protocol as we say over here. Your excellencies, distinguished guests, excellent, excellent creatives, enthusiasts, trade and investment people. Good morning and thank you so much for having us. We thought we would be having a moderator. So I guess I would take the moderation. Yes. >> Permission to carry on. Aisha. >> So I'll co-odderate and speak at the same time. Um so I'll start with you. Can you give us a bit of a background as to the importance of this sector to you personally before your work?

Good morning. Uh first I will be speaking to the young people at the back. Can you raise your hands? >> So maybe I'll just >> um there is no better time to be a human being. Um and and I think it's important that we begin to think about the opportunities that the creative sector brings um to development uh not just in Africa but around the world. And I'll explain why. I work for the United Nations and if you think about the entire budget for development across the world today, it's about $20 billion. You might think it's a lot, but it's not because what we need to transform Africa's development journey is about $1 trillion. So if you have to think about uh spreading $20 billion across 193 countries, it's almost insignificant. And that is why the creative sector is emerging as an immediate catalytic sector for development not just in Africa but for the rest of the world. Why is it immediate? And I would want to answer that by highlighting three important points again for the young people in the room. The current sector and I think Dash you made this point yesterday. Um the creative sector in Africa today uh brings is valued at about 56 billion and that is about 1.5 uh% of global market share. We can do better. And I think the ambition for us in this room and beyond is that we begin to think about how the creative sector would increasingly become about 20% of Africa's GDP. It is possible and we heard from the previous uh panel. I would go into why and how I think it is possible at the subsequent section. However, let me end with two points. The first is that as we think about the creative sector, let us not forget about the ambition for digitalization, especially when it comes to smartphone penetration across Africa today. It's very important. If you look at the data in Africa, it is not necessarily encouraging. Even with our robust or supposedly robust smartphone access, in Nigeria it is just 55%. In Kenya it's 50%, South Africa has the highest of 70%. So as we think about um the creative sector, an accelerator to transform development through the creative sector has to be digitalization. And I would end with perhaps the most important point. We need to reclaim and again I repeat, we need to reclaim our cultural sovereignty. It is really important for us who tells our stories who lead conversations around intellectual property. How is this narrative and where is it being told? It is not it is not a political imperative. It's a development outcome. So as we think about the next step, it's going to be important for us to see how we can work with the Caribbean region to reclaim our cultural so sovereignty as an accelerator for development across developing countries. Thank you so much.

Thank you so much. Trust trust the UN to come with data for us. So I'll use myself as one of your numbers. Since 2001, I have earned from the creative and cultural sector. So today is talking to the young people in the room. I will focus on the investors, the government, and the people who can afford to invest in this sector. Like I said, since 2001, I carried a camera. I paint. I'm a visual storyteller. I've been able to go to 38% of the world because I had a camera in my hand. But what did that do for me? It opened up my mind to what is happening around the world. He works with the UN. I've worked with probably 28 of the UN agencies as a photographer where I go to the worst of spaces to document the worst of stories, right? Because we want to take development to these spaces and the use of photography storytelling is always so important to get like that human interest and angle to have people donate to have people support. But you see what we are missing is the importance of a story. When we were younger, I'll say this. Um, my parents, the generations before us, the generations before us, as the young Gen Z's would say, it was a flex to invest or take your children to the US and the UK. Why was that important? It was what we were all absorbing. Even you as a young person, your focus was on, okay, I need to get to the US. I need to get a scholarship. I need to get to the UK because those were the contents that we were absorbing in our system. And as young people, what we watch, what we hear, how it is told influences us and also influences maybe our interactions with our parents. So a lot of parents invested in education. We know the amount of money that goes to education in the UK, for example, because of the bridge and the history between us. But why don't we have that between Africa and the Caribbean? So I'll say this to like the storytellers and the content creators. A lot of times we do not understand the power we have in our hands in guiding people towards what is important and what is not. So if today a young person wakes up, I'll even also give another example. The Gen Alphas of today are in love with Korea and Japan. Why do you think that's the case? My child wants to go to Japan. He's 13 today and he's obsessed. He wants to get to Japan. It's because of anime. It's because of the kind of K-pop and the things that they're interacting with today. So, it's very, very important for us as Africans and people in the Caribbean to understand that when we connect and push our stories globally, it changes the mindset of our younger generation. We have Madame Hilda here in the room. She supported us by being there for a soft launch of early childhood development coalition of creatives in Lagos recently and that was because we believe that 0 to5 is when we're absorbing a lot of things. That's when our brain is being molded. So if we don't start the long-term infrastructure in investing in our children, investing in the kind of stories that they engage with, investing in how we tell our stories, if a Nigerian today is absorbing information about the Caribbean, about our culture, about how we connect, guess what? In 30 years, when they have money, they've already derisked the trade and investment platform in their mind. They're going to say, "You know what? I can invest here because I know of this place. So we need to also think long term this storytelling connecting it to trade. It may not be quick but it is when it comes for marketing. It is when it comes to politics because when it's time for a politician to get voted he will find the storytellers. He will find the musicians. He will find the artists. He or she right? So I think we should have that at the back of mind. And I'm saying this because I've lived it because we can talk to the younger people to tell them be creative, do this, do that. But if we don't build and invest early through whichever platform because even with marketing yourself or marketing your firm or marketing your business, you can embed those stories and look at things from the perspective of a longerterm infrastructure. So government we want the government will we want the investors to come through and support with infrastructure and the beauty about supporting in infrastructure and creative sector is that we're creating from nothing. So all we need is the avenue to start. Um so I'll take it back to you because I can keep going.

So no thank you so much and you know one point a round of applause for our moderator please. Um, one point to make is that we should not, and I I would want to re-emphasize this point. We should not treat the creative sector as a sector that should or must benefit from charity. Um, it's not going to lead us to development. Um, the creative sector should be seen as a sector that deserves investment. because there is money out there and and I think the development financial institutions are beginning to listen. Uh through CANX we have $2 billion commitment and we can unlock finance through that. Even the African Development Bank um is increasingly committing uh catalytic funding of about $190 million towards the creative sector. But let me speak to you about what we are doing um to accelerate the creative sector as um a catalyst for development. Um 3 years ago we established Timbuktu. Uh UNDP established Timbuktu and the ambition for Timbuktu is actually to establish a 1 billion dollar industry around tech enabled businesses and there are three ways in which we want to do that. I think we think there is a talent um imperative both uh in Africa but also in development in developing countries and that is why we are working with universities across the continent um to establish what we've referred to as university pods unipods so in Nigeria we've just established one in collaboration with the University of Lagos the idea is to improve skilling of individual entrepreneurs that are able to go into various sectors including the creative sector and we think this is really important for us. Education has changed. Education is changing and it will continue to change. Right. The second which I think would be very you'll be very much interested in is the idea of creating thematic hubs. So the ambition for us and we've done we've created five already. So we have the health tech hub in Rwanda. The creative sector hub is based in South Africa in Cape Town. Uh the agreech is in Sagal and manufacturing tech in Ethiopia. The idea here is to transform skills into bankable proposals. I think it was Madame Hilda who talked about the necessity for creating an enabling environment. I think when you speak to the banks, when you speak to these development financial institutions, they would always make the case that you do not have bankable proposals. That is why you're not getting an investment or you're not getting investment pipelines. So the idea is to work with uh individual entrepreneurs uh to be able to establish or create bankable proposals. And the last pillar is around the investment pillar. when you have bankable proposals, you need to reach out to those that are investing in the form of equity, not in the form of grants, right? And it's important that more and more investors are coming in uh to this space. And and so you can actually do a Google search of what Timbuktu represents. Our idea is to really ensure that we work with young people uh to establish tech enabled businesses uh that would catalyze Africa's transformation. and we look forward to partnering uh with the Caribbean uh region uh to ensure that we are able to scale this beyond the Africa a African continent. Thank you.

Thank you Ji. Well said. Well said. Uh so I'll take it also to the Nigerian government. Um one of the major problems we had even I had as a creative was the lack of intellectual property protection. So what the government has done to show government will for this sector was to first of all have a ministry that's clearly focused on the creative sector right independent of information because before it was all combined and a lot of the effort went to information than rather than the creative sector. So under the renewed hope agenda, the president created the ministry of creative arts, culture, creative economy. Tourism was disconnected, but it was brought back because it was very clear that culture and tourism, creativity, culture and tourism were very um were together. Uh so one of the first things that we did was to start looking at the cultural policy, the tourism policy and the intellectual property policy. The IP reforms were one of the most important. Why? There are too many risks in investing in this sector and we did not have the laws to back it up. So I'll give an example. My job is stolen. I get to a court and it was 2,000 naira that the person had to pay. Simple example. So why wouldn't they steal my work? So to show that support and investment the three ministries, Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy under Barrista Hanu Musa Musa who happens to be a lawyer and Ministry of Trade and Investment under Jub Madame Barrista also. Then the Ministry of Justice came together to do this work. And what that does is you have the creatives who are creating. You have trade and investment because we need that investment to build what needs to happen. And you had justice to ensure that if anything goes wrong, there's legal protection. So why is this important? If today I decide to do something in the Caribbean and my work is stolen, there's something to back me up. And I'm sure it's the same for the Caribbean because we now know that they have their department of creative economy which was created in 2023. What does that say? We're all on the same trajectory. We may be disconnected by the oceans, but we're thinking in the same light. The creative sector is extremely important. So that being said, on the level of SEBACK, we're a Panaffrican agency and our job was to preserve, promote, and propagate black and African arts and civilization globally. A lot of the focus has always been on the arts. But what is civilization? It's us doing things in a civilized manner, right? So a lot of that was not really pushed forward and we now realize that cultural diplomacy is extremely important to trade. If the Caribbean and us like we're seeing here, thanks to Aisha coming together with St. Kits, we now have a flight that has done direct flight to St. Kits, right? Let's let's round of applause for Aisha Maya because the AACIS of last year is what has led to so many things. Just yesterday, we saw anou being signed. But why is this important? Many people are in this room because they saw that story. They saw the stories. They saw the news. So they're like, "Oh, something is happening here. So we're going to come." So in as much as we may not take the sector as seriously as we should, I think right now it's 3% of the GDP on the global scale that we're adding and a lot more can happen because I say this from someone like me. My father died in 2001 and I've been working since then and all I needed was an initial investment and it was my uncle and my friend in the US that sent me a camera. Imagine those that can't afford or have someone to support them. So what are we doing to give creatives that little push? Cuz that's all it takes. It's a little push. I'm sitting here today as DGC back. nothing that I had planned in my life, right? But it's because I continue to push and tell the stories that matter. And also now we are using the Center for Black and African Arts and Civilization, a Panaffrican Heritage Center, the story of 1977 FESTAC, which was the festival for arts and culture that brought 59 countries to Nigeria in 1977. You mentioned the Axim Bank. CANX which is the Creative Africa Nexus is happening in November here. Nigeria won the bid to host CANX and the Intra Africa trade fair in November 2027. So I am here to tell you that we've commence the road to fest at 50 and what we want to see Thank you. What we want to see as part of that countdown that will happen from November to November 2027 is that level of trade between all black and African people across the diaspora. We have to come together as sisters and brothers. Thank you. We have to ensure that we have a narrative whereby whatever millions of dollars are around the world, our people are also tapping into it instead of everybody else tapping into us. So I want each and every one of you to please be a part of road to festac in any way that you can. You know we are here as a bridge between the different nations and now we have the caricob community here with us. We're looking forward to I've already met a few people as part of this this meeting where we're already discussing that exchange. So whether it's research, research that's focused on us, those on the continent and in the diaspora. Whether it's publishing, we're here for that. Cultural diplomacy, we're here for that. Supporting trade, even though we're not a trade agency, we've realized that diplomacy leads to trade. So let us have that in mind as we move along that Africa we are thinking on the same path. We are seeing what's happening in South Africa. We're seeing what's happening in Jamaica. We're seeing what's happening in Rwanda. And we are here to tap in to ensure that we do this together. Thank you.

Oh, I keep you see I'm supposed to be moderating at the same time. So I'll hand it to you. No, I I think my my uh last set of intervention is an encouraging one. Um, it is possible and we have seen it being done, right? Um, if I think about how India leapfrogged uh it did so largely through digitalization and you can see a positive correlation between you know uh internet connectivity on one hand and economic growth right India is an example you know when I initially when I when I uh initially started working in Ethiopia 15 years ago uh and I I think some of you have encountered that country even longer. I see Ambassador Adiza is in the room. Um, we used to see donkeys uh on the highway from the airport to our various hotels. Um, is there anyone that has traveled to Adis Sababa recently? Just show show your hands if you have. It's almost increasingly looking like Dubai now. That transformation happened in the last 6 to 10 years. It takes seriousness of leadership. Leadership. And if the government would not do it for us, the private sector will step in. And I'm really encouraged by what um Aquarian Consult is doing to bridge this south south collaboration that we uh that is emerging and you can count on us as UNDP. Increasingly we would not be in this room but today we are here because development has changed. It's never going to be the same again. ODA this overseas development assistance and aid would not lead to development on the African continent. So we must work with the private sector. We must work with you to develop to deliver development for the people of Africa and beyond. So I would end by saying that we are in a new era for development and we really need to let people like Aisha and her team lead us to realize development on the continent. Thank you so much.

So I will conclude with us coming together. We currently at the Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism and and Creative Economy, there's the IDIC, there's a creative enterprise development fund. I see no reason why we can't have an AfroCaribbean creative fund. So let's talk about that when we leave here and figure out how our partners, everybody who supported this agency can also support that. Our stories matter. If we invest in the right stories, our children will wake up. Just like I said, as they're obsessed with going to other countries, let them be obsessed to come into ours. Thank you very much, >> please. Another round of applause. for that very inspirational panel. Our stories matter. Can we all say that? We are not quite confident. Can we all say that our stories matter? Very very lovely. Thank you to the very talented Miss Aisha and Dr. Gok. We thoroughly enjoyed that panel. While we're taking pictures, I would want to swiftly read the bio of our next speaker. There is a particular kind of expertise that comes only from having operated across multiple worlds, the public sector and the private, the local and the international, the technical and the strategic. It is the kind of expertise that does not only sit in a single job title. It accumulates over time through years of serious work in complex environments and it shows up in the quality of thinking that a person brings into any room they walk into. Our next panelist carries that kind of expertise and he carries it with a particular perspective of someone who has built his career in the in and for the Caribbean while operating at the highest levels of international development. Mr. Sanifford Edwards is the principal consultant of Solial Solutions Consulting, a firm he built on a clear and compelling premise that developing economies deserve business models that are robust, contextually grounded and designed to achieve a real result within their communities, not imported wholesale from elsewhere. Through sole, he has worked with governments, private sector entities, development partners, and individuals to help them pursue what the firm calls bold and transformative objectives. His career before solo reads like a masterclass in versatility and depth. He served as director of economic and technical cooperation for the government of Granada, designing, appraising, and implementing capital projects at the national level. He is now general manager of both now Granada and the Granada broadcasting network. He served as a program license and investment specialist with the FAO and as sectoral development and finance lead technical specialist at the CARICOM at the CARICOM private sector organization advancing private sector participation across the Caribbean community. He has also served as chairman of the Grenada Sustainable Development Trust Fund, contributing to environmental conservation and long-term growth on the island. He is in every sense someone who understands how economies work and what it takes to make them work better for people within them. Distinguished guest, ladies and gentlemen, taking us further on the topic crystallizing private investment in climate resilience agriculture. Please join me to welcome Mr. Sandy Ford Edwards. A round of applause for him, please.

Thank you. Thank you very much uh Minister Duggins and the other ministers from the Caribbean, Dominica, Anguela, Monserat, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and BVI. We also have the secretary general from the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, Aisha and her team and other distinguished panelists who've been here and all of you a special good afternoon. Hello. A special good afternoon. Thank you very much. Um my mom gave me a task having left the house close to 25 years ago. She told me when I got to Nigeria, make sure I tell um Morris Sam hello. I don't know how I'm going to do that. So I plan to probably look at um a movie and I can say to her that I saw him. I had I haven't seen him physically, but I saw him and so I've said hello to him. Um that just reminded me that panel one mentioned about feeding our minds with our own story and this essentially says to us that I know it from the Caribbean's perspective that we do consume content produced from the African continent and that speaks volume about the ability for us to continue to share and shape our own stories. The panelists in in the first panelist mentioned about uh the creatives being a source of employment being a source of income and that in itself is a nexus to support development across the region. And then panel the panel the second panel spoke about financing and the similarities that exists between the creative industry and agri food system. So I wanted to mention that a little bit and only this morning we were speaking about specialized production in the Caribbean particularly within the OECS to meet some of the needs and the requirements and looking at the model that is being developed here in in Nigeria. Visa v the hub model where different countries are focusing on building bankable proposals that are necessary. I think that speaks testimony. And then finally before I jump into the presentation um the panelists mentioned about the development aid no longer being the same and having also worked for us a um up until the point of the new administration. Um the the director general for the OEC mentioned that no one is coming to save us. And I think that this is a good point to say that in this room we need to also agree that no one is coming to save Africa and no one is coming to save the Caribbean. And so it is our responsibility to take the necessary steps for our own development. So with that with that I want to talk a little bit about the Caribbean and to speak a little bit about financing. But to do so, next slide. Where's my pointer? There is a nexus between the creatives and agri food system. So you might ask yourself, we're moving from uh the creatives for the last two days and tomorrow we move into agriculture. But it there there are similarities when we speak about feeding our minds. When we speak about the source of employment, when we speak about contributing towards economic growth and development, when we put the creatives industry together with agriculture, it builds our socioeconomic background and back uh socioeconomic background for development. One voice, one vision advancing the Africa Caribbean unity. So I want to talk a little bit about the overview. What is the Caribbean community for those of you that have never been to the Caribbean? Why the need for resilient agri food systems? Some brief statistics because that's important to help set the context to look at the role of stakeholders. some opportunities. What are the opportunities that exist to build a bridge between Africa and the Caribbean? We've spoken a little bit about the flight, the transatlant Atlantic flight, but there are some tangible opportunities in the creative sector, in the creative industry as well as within the agri food system. And then finally to speak about some key enablers. Next slide.

So brief, the Caribbean community, we're looking at about 15 member states and then about six associate members. And then within the Caribbean community, we have the smallest subgrouping called the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States. Those that are highlighted in red, Antiggon, Barbuda, Dominica, we have um Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Monserat, St. Lucia they form part of the OECS Anguila the British Virgin Islands. So that is a context of of where we are. So within the broader CARICOM region we also have the OCS grouping represented here by ministers of agriculture. So a reminder of our commitment. As we were preparing this presentation, I asked myself, what is the commitment that we've made as a people towards our development? Recognizing that the stakes are indeed high. We made a commitment in the 2030 agenda to end hunger and to end poverty. So as we think about financing agriculture, as we think about financing the creative industry and our own development, I ask ourselves, how are we doing with the commitment that we've made to end hunger and access to food for all people? How are we doing to end malnutrition in all forms towards 2030? And how are we doing towards creating an enabling environment to attract investment to attract investment from the private sector to attract investment that enables broad-based development and to create the infrastructure for our young people to participate in growth and development? How are we really doing with that? And if we are able to answer how we are doing, I think it helps set the tone to recognize that indeed the stakes are high. That indeed we are responsible as a people here in Africa and in the Caribbean to be responsible for our own growth and development. So having set the foundation, what are we grappling with? What is the context that we're grappling with? The COVID 19 pandemic may sound as though it has been long. May sound as though it has been eight or nine years ago, but really and truly in fact it changed the paradigm of how we do things. I could remember that in in the height of the coid9 pandemic, we were struggling to get access to medical equipment to anti to to vaccines etc. And it took the Caribbean and Africa working together collaboratively to be able to access some of those critical needs. But what the CO9 pandemic has also done, it disrupted supply chains. It made food become more expensive. We've seen in support from uh working together with the uh the World Food Program and the Caribbean community, they conducted a study in the middle of the coid9 pandemic. And over the last six years, they've done six additional studies that essentially showed that people of the region cut back on eating nutritious foods because the price became too expensive. That people in the region did not have the same buffer stock as it relates to food. So it moved from having food for at least one week to eating daily. and then they move from eating healthy and nutritious foods to more highly processed foods and fruits and vegetables. So the CO 19 pandemic says to us that there is a need for us to re-evaluate how we finance agriculture and how we do business. The international geopolitical events for which we're very familiar from the days of the wars in in in Ukraine between Russia and Ukraine. We've seen prices increase for grains and cereals. Those have not changed. the prices have not come back down. Now, the current war in in in Iran, we've seen the price changes in fuel. And for those of us that operate on a just in time system where the price of fuel is reflective of the price on the world market, we are seeing those rise in prices, natural disasters, and the impact of hurricanes. When we flew over a couple days here uh coming to Abuja and we looked out of the window I saw the vast expanse of land and looking at it looks brown it looks dry and in the between you had different trees etc. In the Caribbean we're very familiar with the effects of hurricane Grenada Dominica recently St. Vincent and the Grenadines and sometimes the effect of those storms while import almost 200% of your gross domestic product. When you experience those kind of effects, it means that your development is also being affected rising inflation and then finally the food sovereignity challenge that we're faced with. If we do not control our planting materials, if we do not control the seeds and all of those have to be imported from extra regional third country sources, then for your critical food needs it means you are at risk and you can be vulnerable. So as we think about catalyzing private sector investment, we have also have to think about how do we create the enabling environment so that we ourselves can control some of the plant and materials and needs that we have. Next slide.

So a little bit about the um some statistics looking at the Caribbean. The average import bill for the Caribbean at this time is around 36 billion. That's the average import bill. The average export right now it's around 35 billion. That's right now. But that is heavily driven by oil and minerals coming from Guyana. If we extract from the figures the oil impact, you're looking at a trade deficit in goods. Overall, a trade deficit of around 10 billion, 8.5 to 10 billion. So that's what we're thinking about in goods. When we go into food, it's a different story. The food import bill of the region is roughly around 7 billion US, but our export of food is far less. is just around three billion. So at least 50% and again that is heavily driven by intra regional trade rice and sugar coming from Guyana. So when we think about financing agricultural development we're thinking about this from the context of what are the real opportunities that exist. And the next slide I want to show you some more details. Next slide.

So Africa and the Caribbean, as it stands now, 41% of the imports on average in the Caribbean comes from the United States. 41%. China is 9%. I want you to think about China. I'm pulling out China for a reason. Nigeria is ranked 34%. So Nigeria is the 34th country that the region imports from. So Nigeria is not heavily featured. South Africa is 63rd at 36 million 0.1%. And Egypt is the third country ranked 72nd at around US 21 million 0.06%. That is what the region imports from Africa. What do we export to Africa? So our exports, our main country is the United States at 32%. 32% of all exports from the Caribbean goes to the United States. Morocco is the highest country that has been ranked in terms of a destination country for Caribbean exports, but it's 19 followed by the Congo 32nd, South Africa 77. Now this yes speaks about the opportunity that now exists. It is not to say that it's impossible to be done but it gives us a benchmark as to where we can now go. So as we speak about this one vision this one voice advancing Africa Caribbean unity we now have an opportunity to change the paradigm to change the conversation to change the statistics as to what we do amongst ourselves. In 10 years time when we're looking at the 12th summit then we should be able to go back to the records to show that in the second summit we weren't trading much that trade was less than 2% but by the 12th summit trade is now 10% or 15% or 20% as the case may be. So it is very possible for us to transform and transform how we build this partnership by looking at what the real trade opportunities are. So next slide.

So an analysis was done of the things that are produced within the African Union, Nigeria etc. looking at a competitive analysis and how competitive things can be coming from the African continent. Some are within the food category, others are not in the food category. But it shows that there are real opportunities for private sector to engage, that there are real opportunities to do business with the African continent within the Caribbean. It's going to require some policy reforms to ensure that the enabling environment is created so that private sector can do business and I will get to that slide shortly. But here are some opportunities. We speak of cashew nuts, we speak of dates, we speak of cotton, we speak of essential oils, we speak of ginger and saffron. So the region, yes, produces ginger and saffron, but we spend close to $600,000 is given up. Sorry. The region gives up close to $600,000 US, just under a billion in what is called tax breaks for the importation of items from extra regional sources from far east Asia, ginger and saffron powder for its manufacturing base that does not exist in the Caribbean. These are tangible opportunities that are lowhanging fruits that we can pick together. If we say that there is an opportunity to switch the supplies for some of these items that are required for growth and development in the region that can be competitively produced here in Africa. Ground nuts, lentils, onions, potatoes, soaps, etc. Leather on the other side, cement board, ceramic tiles, clothing, African clothing, African textiles, arts and craft. Those are some opportunities that exist. lumber, marble, metal cabinets. These are things that are exported from Africa to other parts of the region but are not necessarily exported into the Caribbean that can be exported into the Caribbean. An opportunity to build two-way trade. Next slide.

There are also potential in the Caribbean to attract investment and also to attract production diversification. So an analysis was performed looking at what was called the CARICOM 25 by 2025 which is now plus 5. And that policy framework was where the ministries of agriculture and heads of government came together to look at how do we diversify our production base. How do we reduce our importation of fruits and vegetables by 25% now by 2030 and I had the privilege of being able to do the analytical work to come up with these. And there exists the potential for $1 billion in import substitution or increased production from the Caribbean. And so there is an opportunity for investment now from Africa into the Caribbean to help achieve this vision. We're speaking of animal products. 300 and something million dollars. What of opportunities for local production, cereals and staples, rice, etc. to expand that and we already have countries like Guyana, Surinam and Bleise and Trinidad to a certain extent that does specialty rice that can expand massively in rice production to meet the needs of the region but as well as to take advantage of opportunities here in in in Africa. Edible vegetables, fruits and nuts, these are opportunities that exist. milk, beverages, and last night in speaking with the ambassador from Grenada um to Nigeria, his excellency Dr. Nixon, he indicated to me that rum is or alcohol is a huge opportunity here on the African continent in Nigeria. The Caribbean has developed a strong mark internationally for its alcohol products in terms of rum. A unique flavor and a story that attaches to rum production. Of course, we are encouraging responsible consumption. But there is an opportunity for we we don't want it is true responsible consumption. Nobody goes above their limit. Yes. you know, we we we were up at um 2:00 this morning engaging in conversation and and beverage sampling and and we were able to be at at breakfast at 7:30 because we did responsible beverage sampling. Um so so we want to encourage responsible beverage sampling and so there's an opportunity for that. There are investments that are taking place across the region in in pineapple production in in other fruits in cherries etc. to support the development of a beverage industry. The region imports thousands and thousands of tons of puree from different parts of the world from North America from Usbekistan from South America. So there is an opportunity to import the same kind of pury to produce it in the region as well. And then finally, there is the opportunity for fish and fish products as an area for investment in the region that can do both raw and to process fish for regional consumption, but also to take advantage of some of the opportunities here for the countries that are are landlocked and I was reminded about that last night. Some countries are not close to water on the African continent. It means that the Caribbean has the opportunity to do the two-way trade amongst ourselves. We get products from you and we are able to send products to you. And so we build our own resilient systems by ensuring that we create the environment for private sector investment. And so I want to go to the main slide. Next slide. Back. It is possible. It is possible to trade amongst ourselves. North America because of its share volume the average cost of a 20ft container is 2,218 US but highlighted in green for example North Africa is 2583 and Southern Africa is 3048. It is cheaper to get a container from Africa than to get a container from Asia. We have no excuse really to not do it because it is cheaper. So logistics is not a problem. We may say logistics is a problem but logistics is not a problem. I say to you that no container comes directly from China to the Caribbean. It goes through a trans shshipment hub either through Miami first or um another eastern seabboard through the Panama Canal. It goes through a trans shshipment hub and so too the containers from Africa will have to go through a trans shshipment hub and it is cheaper to get a container from Africa than to get a container from China. It ever means that the enabling environment needs to be created so that the private sector can now do business. And if the private sector has the opportunity to do business, then the numbers that we've seen before will change. Then our story will change. Our story would no longer just be about the transatlantic slave trade, but our story would now be about a group of people, of like minds, of like history, of like heritage working together and trading together and developing its own economy and its people. For us, for us the opportunity to develop should not mean losing our cultural identity or the opportunities to develop should not mean losing our heritage. It can be done cohesively and together. Final slide.

So what are the key enablers that from a private sector perspective we believe are critically important to drive this nexus to drive this opportunity of crosscontinent trade between Africa and the Caribbean to drive investments in the agri food system in Africa and in the Caribbean. What are some of those key enablers on the agriculture insurance and financing side? There are a few things and this is not exhaustive and we begin to see we've begun seeing some improvements and some movement within the the the Caribbean on the insurance. It is a part of the derisking that needs to take place. The gentleman from UNDP, I will not try to pronounce your name at least I butcher it. So I would say doc so please you know allow me to say doc mentioned about developing bankable proposals and derisking investment. The development of an agriculture insurance program is an element in derisking the investment from a financing perspective. We take out insuranceances on our homes. We take insuranceances on our vehicles. We take insuranceances on our phones. We take out insuranceances on our furniture, on our couch, on our bed. We take out insuranceances on our lives, which is the most important part of it. But we take out insuranceances. And so it means that we take out insurance on on freight. Containers don't want to move through the straight of a moose at this stage because the cost of insurance would be phenomenal because of the risk that they would be faced if they decide to pass through the straight of a moose and the ship get blown up. And so reinsurers are stepping away. So too when we think about agriculture we have to think about how do we derisk the investment for the people that are going to make the investment in the sector and insurance is one way of helping achieve that and there only last week I believe it was in St. Kits the reap insurance project was launched which is a parametric agriculture insurance and uh we we congratulate St. Kits on making this this movement um prior to St. Kits it was also launched in in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. We know that the World Bank and and some of these other development partners have been supporting agree initiatives such as in in in Grenada. But that is one. A second item that is important, very dear to me as well around ensuring that we can muster and we can catalyze private sector investment is having what I call specialized agricultural loan evaluation. With all res due respect to uh finance officers in the banking system outside of where you have an agriculture bank such as here in in Nigeria generally in the Caribbean, Trinidad to a certain extent has

an agricultural bank. The financing comes from the general commercial banks and credit unions. They are not specialized agricultural banks. So it means that the loan officers are generally finance and banking officers. They are not agricultural experts.

So when we ask a financial officer, a credit officer to evaluate a loan application from a youngster from our youth to grow cashew nuts, it is totally different from raring cles. It is totally different from planting lettuce. The agricultural loan evaluation system allows a credit officer to be able to objectively evaluate an application for financing based on the type of crop or based on the agricultural item that is being um um um applied for. That creates an enabling environment for transparency in evaluation and proper credit risk analysis to make sure that the financing that is provided is adequate for the venture.

And then thirdly, there is a need for the promotion of cross-border investments. Cross-border investments within the community. So within the OECS and within CARICOM, there is that need for that cross-border investment promotion. But as well as the cross-border investment between Africa and the Caribbean that we should promote the investment opportunities in the Caribbean for African investors as well as the promotion in the Caribbean of investment opportunities in Africa because believe it or not there is the opportunity to transfer knowledge, skills, ideas on both sides. There are things that you might be doing very well that we can adopt and adapt in the Caribbean. And there are things that the Caribbean you might be doing very well that you can adopt and adapt here on the African continent.

Policy implementation extremely important that we look at the production corridors even within the OECS construct within the Caribbean construct and within the African construct. What are the production corridors that we can look at where there are specialization in production and manufacturing can be done somewhere else. So if one particular country is good in producing and another country has a cheaper cost for electricity that can allow for manufacturing, you produce in another country, you manufacture in another country or you do the research and development in one country and you do the manufacturing in another country. That's how the Silicon Valley has been built. The intellectual capital retain is retained in the Silicon Valley but production might be done somewhere else. We here have the opportunity to develop our own knowledge capital that we retain the intellectual property of the things that we create, the things that we we we are able to design and invent and production can take place any part of the world.

Policy improvements for transport but also there are two other areas under uh policy measures that I want to articulate for our policy makers that are around the table. The first one has to do with visa-free travel. That for our people to move between the continent from the continent to the Caribbean and from the Caribbean back to the continent, we have to make it accessible for them to do it. And so we have to be able to push for visa-free travel among the community, among the nations so that we can get there.

And then finally, we need to have a trade agreement. We have to identify what are the things that we want to trade. We have trade agreements with the United States and North America, what what's called NAFTA. We have trade trade agreements with Asia. We have trade agreements with South America. It therefore means that as we think about one voice and one vision, as we think about advancing Africa and Caribbean unity, we also have to think about that in the context of free trade zones and free trade agreements.

And then as we begin to wrap up the trade and recognizing that artificial intelligence and digital transformation is yet to stay. There is no going back. So we have to look at what policies we put in place that creates the enabling environment to exploit the opportunities that the artificial intelligence and digitalization brings for growing agriculture and agri-food system. How do we use artificial intelligence to drive precision agriculture? The soil sensors etc. to look at soil fertility so that we don't put more fertilizer than is necessary which is a cost for farmers. That we look at developing smart irrigation systems that conserves and manages our water resources. How do we use artificial intelligence to identify market opportunities? How do we use artificial intelligence to improve on products and product designs? How do we use artificial intelligence to improve product positioning so that we can tell the story that relates to our own history and our own heritage in a better way? How do we use that information? As we think about that, we have to think about ensuring that it's a part of the policy discussion.

And then finally looking at resource mobilization. Financial institutions balance sheets are filled with trillions of dollars. Private sector firms in boardrooms do have access to resources. And so the clarion call is not for government to fund every initiative but for government to be the key enabler that opens the door so that private sector and private capital can be invested. And one way to do that resource mobilization is a signaling event from government to say these are our priority areas. These are the incentives that we are going to provide to you the private sector for these priority areas that we want you to invest in. This is going to assist in mobilizing resources and then finally using our strategic development tool and our strategic development plans as a guide as a guide and I'm saying this not to um I'm saying this having also worked with a development partner that the projects that the interventions rather should be driven by the needs of the country. That the intervention should be driven by the priorities of the country and that the intervention should not be driven by the development partner. That the development partner essentially should be a support to helping you achieve the broad vision and the broad goal.

As we come to a close, I say to you that it is possible. Drawing from the director general that no one is coming to save us, but that we do have within the room here and that we have within the millions and millions of people that exist between the continent and the Caribbean the ideas and the solutions to take our industry forward, our creative industry forward, our every food industry forward, our infrastructure forward, our medical industry forward. That we have the ability to do so. I challenge you today to lift the stakes because they are high. Thank you for the opportunity. Thank you to Mr. Edwards for that forward-thinking perspective as we realize the opportunities for private investment in climate-resilient agriculture.

Ladies and gentlemen, as they take their photos, ladies and gentlemen, this summit is more than just conversation. We will have a signing ceremony for the launch of the Afro-Caribbean Creative Economy Development Initiative. I ask Miss Mayna and Honorable Samuel Duggin to remain on the stage. Thank you so much to be a part of this signing ceremony. We have Miss Aisha Mayna, GMD of Aquarian Consult Limited, Honorable Samuel Duggin, Minister of the Creative Economy of St. Kitts and Nevis and Mr. Darien Dash, managing director and head of music at Working Capital Partners. This signing will also be witnessed by Aisha Age, director general of the Center for Black and African Arts and Civilization, as well as Dr. Jade Oki, director of the regional program for Africa United Nations Development Program, UNDP.

Working Capital Partners, WCP, Aquarian Consult Limited, and the Ministry of Small Business, Entrepreneurship, Cooperatives, and the Creative Economy of St. Kitts and Nevis announces the launch of the Afro-Caribbean Creative Economy Development Initiative, a new cross-regional collaboration designed to strengthen the economic infrastructure supporting creative industries across Africa and the Caribbean. This initiative will explore the structuring and deployment of a proposed asset-backed credit line, ACL facility, up to 2 billion US, designed to provide working capital solutions for music labels, artists and creative entrepreneurs operating within the rapidly expanding Afrobeats and global African music ecosystem.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Africa-Caribbean Creative Economy Development Initiative represents a significant shift in how the creative sector is viewed and supported in both St. Kitts and Nevis and across Africa. The proposed $2 billion asset-backed credit line is in fact a game-changer for creatives. This could mean musicians, producers, filmmakers, designers can access real financing, not just small grants. This would lead to the ability to fund studio time, equipment, tourism showcases, marketing and distribution. This would also assist creative businesses to scale from a side hustle to structured enterprise. In simple terms, talent can finally be backed by capital.

As it stands, many creatives operate informally. This initiative pushes structure. And the impact will be very real. It encourages creatives to register businesses, build proper financial records and develop proposals and business models. It will open doors to partnerships with investors, labels and global platforms as well. This moves creatives from artist to creative entrepreneur. And this is not just local, it is cross-regional, Africa and the Caribbean. The operate the opportunities therefore include collaborations between African and Caribbean artists. It includes access to new audiences, Afrobeats, so dancehall fusions etc. It also gives opportunity for cultural exchange and co-productions, film, fashion, music, etc. This therefore means that Haitian artists could realistically break into African markets and vice versa. Thank you.

And as we take our pictures, ladies and gentlemen, this has been the signing ceremony for the launch of the Afro-Caribbean Creative Economy Development Initiative. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me briefly to just send a call out to the region. I know the ministers here around the region are the ministers of agriculture, but I wish for you to take a message home to your ministers of culture, creative economy, and ministries that oversee this area to ensure that they are part of this. It's $2 billion available now for our creatives around the region and across Africa to ensure that we could tap into these opportunities and strengthen our creative sectors. So please across Africa, across the Caribbean, demand that your ministries sign on to be a part of this program and this project. And I just wanted to send that call out to all of you. Thank you. Thank you to our signees and witnesses.

Ladies and gentlemen, at this time we will break for lunch. Please return promptly as we continue. Thank you so much.

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, it's been a very insightful couple of hours, especially with the panel sessions and robust conversations and deliberations. Like my co-emcee said, we're breaking for lunch. Now, while we're doing that, it's also a great networking opportunity. So you might have come here knowing a few faces, but you can leave knowing even more. So don't be a stranger, feel at home and get to know someone. You will be directed on the next line of action for the event and our ushers will direct you. It's been a pleasure having you around and see you soon.