At a London Trade & Investment Soirée co-hosted by the Barbados High Commission (UK), the African Caribbean Sustainability & Investment Initiative (ACSII) declared that the Africa-Caribbean corridor is no longer a dream, it’s a deal.
Investors, diplomats, and business leaders gathered at the The Barbados High Commission at London last week for a Trade and Investment Soirée co-hosted by the African Caribbean Sustainability & Investment Initiative, ACSII. The evening brought together representatives from across the African and Caribbean diaspora, development finance circles, and the private sector.
The keynote address was delivered by ACSII Chairman David F. Roberts, who used the occasion to set out the organisation’s current deal activity, its expansion plans, and its broader strategic direction across both regions.
Keynote Address
David F. Roberts, Chairman of ACSII
The Platform and Its Purpose
Roberts opened by drawing a clear distinction about what ACSII is and what it is designed to do. The organisation, he told guests, functions as an investment platform with three core activities: mobilising capital, generating bankable project pipelines, and positioning itself as a vehicle for development finance. His central premise was that the Caribbean and Africa do not lack opportunity, but rather structured access to capital and investment-ready deal flow.
To address the capacity side of that equation, Roberts announced the forthcoming launch of the ACSII Academy. The Academy will offer programming across four areas: investment readiness, deal structuring, trade facilitation, and market entry into African and Caribbean markets. Roberts described it as the mechanism through which ACSII intends to ensure that opportunities across both regions are properly prepared before capital arrives.
The Deal Room
Roberts reported that ACSII’s Deal Room has, over the past year, presented in excess of USD 130 million in investment opportunities. Those opportunities have spanned five sectors: energy and climate, agri-food, logistics, tourism, and digital infrastructure.
For Barbados specifically, Roberts outlined four sectors of focus aligned with the country’s national priorities: tourism and hospitality, education and skills, manufacturing, energy development, real estate & commercial development.
The Deal Room
Roberts reported that ACSII’s Deal Room has, over the past year, presented in excess of USD 130 million in investment opportunities. Those opportunities have spanned five sectors: energy and climate, agri-food, logistics, tourism, and digital infrastructure.
For Barbados specifically, Roberts outlined four sectors of focus aligned with the country’s national priorities: tourism and hospitality, education and skills, manufacturing, energy development, real estate & commercial development.
The Nigeria-Caribbean Trade Corridor
Building on the momentum of a recent ACSII Trade and Investment Webinar, Roberts announced that the organisation is advancing the ACSII Nigeria-Caribbean Trade Corridor. He cited the direct St. Kitts to Abuja flight as reinforcing the viability of the initiative and outlined the range of opportunities it opens: aviation and logistics partnerships, tourism flows, trade platforms, joint investment vehicles, and creative and cultural exchange.
Closing Remarks
Roberts closed his address with a direct message to each of the evening’s key constituencies. To investors, he pointed to Barbados as offering stability, strong governance, and opportunity, with ACSII positioned to de-risk market entry. To partners, he called for execution at scale, saying the connectivity and momentum now exist. To the diaspora, he described their role as the bridge between continents, capital, and opportunity.
He summarised ACSII’s mission in three movements: from potential to performance, from dialogue to deals, and from vulnerability to resilience.
