On the margins of the Canada-CARICOM Summit in Canada, Special Envoy Duwai-Sowa met with Ambassador David Comissiong, Barbados’ non-resident High Commissioner to the Bahamas, and Barbados’ Ambassador to Caricom, to reflect on the shared history, mutual interests and opportunities between Sierra Leone, Barbados and the Caribbean broadly.
The counterparts shared their mandates, focus areas, and respective government priorities, noting the tremendous opportunities for collaboration and partnership, to advance the collective interests of Africa and the Caribbean, particularly as Sierra Leone now serves as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.
Committing to ongoing engagement, several initiatives were proposed for further consideration including a visit of the SEIRTI to Barbados, to explore best practices and opportunities for Sierra Leone in the areas of health, tourism, trade, and education; facilitation of a commemorative visit of Barbadians to Sierra Leone, and an exchange visit of descendants of Sierra Leonean Maroons to Barbados.
The discussions further noted the need to foster stronger relations between the African Union and CARICOM through bilateral trade and investment opportunities. To demonstrate leadership and commitment to pan-African goals, it was proposed that Sierra Leone considers hosting the Africa-Caribbean Summit in 2024/2025.
Part of the delegation also included Maxine Carter, Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer at Mohawk College, who has a deep commitment to promoting ties between the Caribbean, Africa and Canada.
