Ethiopia: The Heart Of Africa-CARICOM Reconnection

By Ambassador Nebiyu Tedla Negash

On September 7, 2025, history will be made in Addis Ababa as Ethiopia hosts the first in-person Africa-CARICOM Summit, a meeting that not only represents a diplomatic milestone but a profound historical convergence. With the theme,

“Transcontinental Partnership in Pursuit of Reparatory Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations,” the Second Africa-CARICOM Summit signals a renewed urgency for African and Caribbean nations to move from shared memory to shared mission.

For the Caribbean, Ethiopia is not just another African country. It is the eternal symbol of African resilience and sovereignty. The memory of Ethiopia’s triumph over colonialism at the Battle of Adwa in 1896 echoed far beyond Africa’s borders, igniting a spark of pride in communities of African descent across the world and especially in the Caribbean. That spark would later find voice in the Pan-Africanism of Marcus Garvey, who pointed to Ethiopia as a land of dignity and hope.

Ethiopia became a revered figure in the Caribbean, not only in Rastafarian spiritual traditions but also in broader cultural, political, and philosophical circles. Ethiopia thus became a spiritual homeland not through conquest or migration, but through the powerful idea of shared African identity, struggle, and redemption.

Today, that emotional and cultural connection is evolving into something more structured a formal, multi-dimensional partnership. As leaders from the African Union and CARICOM converge in Addis Ababa, they are set to expand cooperation in areas that include reparative justice, trade, climate resilience, cultural exchange, digital innovation, and public health. This is no longer a symbolic bond, it is a strategic alliance, being built deliberately and ambitiously.

The Summit is expected to be co-chaired by Jamaica and Angolan as Chairs of the CARICOM community and African Union respectively. Hosted by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the event builds on prior commitments made during high-level African Union meetings and follows significant diplomatic momentum over the last four years, including growing interactions between CARICOM heads and African leaders, and key visits across both regions.

A major emphasis of the Summit is on reparatory justice a shared call from both regions for redress for the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism. The alignment of the African Union’s 2025 theme on reparations with CARICOM’s long-standing Ten-Point Plan for Reparatory Justice offers a powerful platform for global advocacy. The leaders are expected to push for the restitution of cultural heritage, the return of stolen artifacts, and educational and development programs that address the enduring legacies of slavery and systemic racism.

But the Summit will also be forward looking. There is recognition that despite cultural closeness, trade between Africa and CARICOM has remained underdeveloped, less than 3% of total exports By Ambassador Nebiyu Tedla NegashOn September 7, 2025, history will be made in Addis Ababa asEthiopia hosts the first in-person Africa-CARICOM Summit, a meeting that not only represents a diplomatic milestone but a profound historical convergence. With the theme, “Transcontinental Partnership in Pursuit of Reparatory Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations,” the Second Africa-CARICOM Summit signals a renewed urgency for African and Caribbean nations to move from shared memory to shared mission.

For the Caribbean, Ethiopia is not just another African country. It is the eternal symbol of African
resilience and sovereignty. The memory of Ethiopia’s triumph over colonialism at the Battle of Adwa in 1896 echoed far beyond Africa’s borders, igniting a spark of pride in communities of African descent across the world and especially in the Caribbean. That spark would later find voice in the Pan-Africanism of Marcus Garvey, who pointed to Ethiopia as a land of dignity and hope.

Ethiopia became a revered figure in the Caribbean, not only in Rastafarian spiritual traditions but also in broader cultural, political, and philosophical circles. Ethiopia thus became a spiritual homeland not through conquest or migration, but through the powerful idea of shared African identity, struggle, and redemption.
Today, that emotional and cultural connection is evolving into something more structured a formal, multi-dimensional partnership.

As leaders from the African Union and CARICOM converge in Addis Ababa, they are set to expand cooperation in areas that include reparative justice, trade, climate resilience, cultural exchange, digital innovation, and public health. This is no longer a symbolic bond, it is a strategic alliance, being built deliberately and ambitiously.

The Summit is expected to be co-chaired by Jamaica and Angolan as Chairs of the CARICOM
community and African Union respectively. Hosted by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed,
the event builds on prior commitments made during high-level African Union meetings and
follows significant diplomatic momentum over the last four years, including growing interactions
between CARICOM heads and African leaders, and key visits across both regions.

A major emphasis of the Summit is on reparatory justice a shared call from both regions for redress for the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism. The alignment of the African Union’s 2025 theme on reparations with CARICOM’s long-standing Ten-Point Plan for Reparatory Justice offers a powerful platform for global advocacy. The leaders are expected to push for the restitution of cultural heritage, the return of stolen artifacts, and educational and development programs that address the enduring legacies of slavery and systemic racism.

But the Summit will also be forward looking. There is recognition that despite cultural closeness, trade between Africa and CARICOM has remained underdeveloped, less than 3% of total exports between the regions. That is set to change. Leaders will explore frameworks for investment, improve transportation links including direct air routes, and promote agreements on taxation and business facilitation. Technological innovation, artificial intelligence, and knowledge-sharing will also be prioritized, particularly in agriculture, food security, and health research.

Ethiopia, as host, is well-positioned to lead this transformation. With its dynamic diplomatic tradition, it is the home of the African Union, and increasingly a nucleus of multilateral engagement across the continent. Ethiopia’s symbolic value to the Caribbean is now matched by its strategic importance in shaping the Africa-Diaspora relationship for the 21st century.

This Summit is also about healing, not only in terms of historical justice, but in real-world solutions to challenges such as climate change, pandemics, and persistent inequality. The Caribbean and African regions share vulnerability to global shocks, but they also share a growing confidence that, through unity, they can be architects of their own futures.

As this gathering unfolds in the land of Adwa in the city of Addis Ababa, where the first Pan-African resolutions were forged the message is clear: this is not just a diplomatic meeting. It is a reconnection of family, a realignment of history, and the renewal of a long-interrupted journey toward dignity, prosperity, and global influence for all people of African descent.

The time has come, and Ethiopia proudly stands at the heart of it.

Ambassador Nebiyu Tedla Negash is the director General of the public diplomacy directorate

General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.