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CARICOM, African Union set for inaugural joint summit
Kenya will host the event virtually on Tuesday, September 7, at 8am Eastern Caribbean Time (EST).
The inaugural Caribbean Community (CARICOM)-Africa Summit will be held on Tuesday (local time), with Kenya, which will host the event virtually due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, becoming the maiden host of the joint summit. The African nation’s president, Uhuru Kenyatta, will chair the meeting, which will take place under the theme “Unity Across Continents and Oceans: Opportunities for Deepening Integration.”
“The historic first Africa-CARICOM Summit begins at 8am Eastern Caribbean Time on Tuesday, September 7, 2021. The full Summit will be livestreamed on the CARICOM YouTube channel and Facebook page,” the CARICOM shared on its official Twitter handle.
As per caricom.org, Kenya was initially scheduled to host the summit last year but the programme was postponed due the prevailing pandemic. The summit was announced after the African Union recognised the African diaspora as the “sixth region” of the continent.
The respective heads of state of the Caribbean Community and African Union will participate at the event, which will also witness participation from the Chairs of the CARICOM, African Union Commission and African Regional Economic Communities (AREC); as well as Secretaries-General of CARICOM, Organisation of the African Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and the President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).
During the interaction, the two blocs are likely to reach an agreement to hold the summit on a bi-annual basis.
