“AFRICA-CARIBBEAN GAME-CHANGER! NIGERIAN ENTREPRENEUR AISHA MAINA SECURES $40M AFREXIMBANK-BACKED ST KITTS PORT MEGA-PROJECT & LEADS EPIC CARIBBEAN TRADE MISSION”
GREATRIBUNETVNEWS–Nigerian entrepreneur Aisha Maina, Managing Director of Aquarian Consult and founder of Gemini Integrated Commodities, has achieved a major milestone by securing a USD 40 million investment from Afreximbank for a groundbreaking port project in St Kitts.
This strategic project will anchor a 10 square kilometer special economic zone, tailored for agro-processing, light assembly, and bonded warehousing.
Feasibility studies for the project are set to begin in August, with financial close targeted for Q1 2026.
The facility is poised to create thousands of jobs and attract an additional USD 300 million in private investment.
For Saint Kitts & Nevis, a nation with a population of fewer than 60,000 people, this project positions the federation as a crucial logistics hub bridging 19 African and 12 Caribbean Commonwealth member states.
Maina also led a separate high-impact trade mission across Grenada, Jamaica, and Trinidad, further solidifying Africa-Caribbean commercial ties.
For exporters in West Africa, it removes a costly European detour and delivers end-to-end digital customs visibility.
One Week, Three Strategic Touchpoints
1. Port signing in Grenada — 28 July
At the Afreximbank Afri-Caribbean Trade and Investment Forum in Grenada, Maina co-signed a USD 40 million Letter of Interest with Afreximbank and the Government of St Kitts & Nevis. Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew witnessed the signing, while Honourable Samal Duggins, Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources, signed for the island nation. The agreement finances a Panamax-capable deep-water port in Basseterre and a ten-square-kilometre special economic zone for agro-processing and light assembly.
“Africa and the Caribbean need assets, not just aspirations. With this port we move from promise to throughput, from talk to tonnage. It is the physical backbone of a trade bridge that has been too long in the making,” Maina said on stage.
Duggins added, “Fresh off the Afri-Caribbean Exchange, I proudly signed a landmark Letter of Interest with Afreximbank. Facility after facility, deal after deal, we are not just talking transformation; we are delivering it. The vision is clear, the progress is real, and the future is now.”
2. Caribbean Investment Forum in Jamaica — 30 July
From Montego Bay’s main stage, Maina confirmed that feasibility and environmental studies for the Basseterre port will begin in August. She outlined a corridor that cuts Lagos-to-Basseterre sailing times to about seven days, eliminating costly European detours.
“If private sector does not take charge of the process, we will remain where we have been. Retreat or defeat are not options,” she told delegates.
3. Trans-Atlantic Symposium in Trinidad — 3 August
Maina closed the week in Port of Spain, delivering the keynote “Why Caribbean and Africa Trade and Investment and Economic Cooperation Matter” at the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Symposium organised by the Emancipation Support Committee of Trinidad and Tobago. She connected port logistics, economic-zone clustering and new financing tools to broader goals of youth employment, food security and diversified exports.
Project Snapshot
Metric
Detail
Initial finance USD 40 million
Berth capacity One Panamax berth, expandable to two
Construction jobs 600 direct positions
Follow-on capital USD 300 million projected private investment
Studies launch August 2025
Financial close Q1 2026
First container Q4 2028
Regional and Global Implications
Shorter transit times — Direct sailings remove European detours and lower freight costs.
Value-addition hub — The special economic zone lets African raw materials be processed closer to North American markets.
Commonwealth relevance — One of the Commonwealth’s smallest states will host a strategic maritime asset linking 19 African and 12 Caribbean members.
Private-capital leadership — Gemini Integrated Commodities co-invests with Afreximbank, placing execution risk on balance-sheet owners rather than policy desks.
Background
Momentum began in March with the Afri-Caribbean Investment Summit in Abuja, followed by a June charter of an Air Peace 777 carrying 120 Nigerian entrepreneurs and policymakers to Basseterre. The Grenada signing, Montego Bay confirmation and Trinidad keynote now merge those earlier steps into a single infrastructure roadmap.
About Aquarian Consult
Aquarian Consult is a Nigeria-based advisory and investment firm specialising in trade facilitation, human-capital development and infrastructure. Through Gemini Integrated Commodities, the company designs and executes projects that connect African markets to global value chains, with a focus on Africa–Caribbean integration.
About the Author
