Nigerian entrepreneur Aisha Maina has just secured an Afreximbank-backed USD 40 million investment to build a deep-water port in St Kitts. Beyond paving a direct shipping gateway for African exporters, she is personally leading a Caribbean trade mission across Grenada, Jamaica and Trinidad, opening doors for new partnerships in agribusiness, manufacturing and professional services.
The project is expected to generate thousands of jobs in the Eastern Caribbean and Africa while providing African producers with faster, cost-efficient access to lucrative markets. Maina’s initiative exemplifies South-South cooperation at its best and underscores Nigeria’s capacity to shape global trade corridors.
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Nigerian entrepreneur Aisha Maina secures Afreximbank-backed USD 40 million St Kitts port investment and leads a separate Caribbean trade mission across Grenada, Jamaica and Trinidad
Aisha Maina, Managing Director of Aquarian Consult and founder of Gemini Integrated Commodities, has completed an intensive week of engagements that unite policy, private capital and hard infrastructure around a single objective: building a reliable commercial bridge between Africa and the Caribbean.
The new port will anchor a 10 square kilometre special economic zone designed for agro processing, light assembly and bonded warehousing. Feasibility studies begin in August, and financial close is targeted for Q1 2026. The facility is expected to create thousands of jobs and attract an additional USD 300 million in private investment. For Saint Kitts & Nevis, a nation of fewer than 60,000 people, the project positions the federation as a logistics hinge between 19 African and 12 Caribbean Commonwealth members. 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 Kingston’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-Atlantis 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-Atlantis 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, Kingston confirmation and Trinidad keynote now merge those earlier steps into a single infrastructure roadmap.
