Nigerian entrepreneur Aisha Maina has secured a $40 million investment, backed by Afreximbank, to develop a major deep-water port and economic zone in St Kitts — a bold move that could redefine trade between Africa and the Caribbean.
Maina, who is the Managing Director of Aquarian Consult and founder of Gemini Integrated Commodities, is spearheading a vision that directly connects African producers to Caribbean markets, trimming freight costs and bypassing Europe entirely.
The project, anchored in Basseterre, will feature a Panamax berth and a 10-square-kilometre special economic zone dedicated to agro-processing, assembly, and bonded warehousing. Feasibility studies begin August 2025, with financial close expected in early 2026. First cargo is scheduled to arrive by Q4 2028.
Over the course of a week, Maina led a Caribbean trade mission, advancing her infrastructure agenda across Grenada, Jamaica, and Trinidad.
At the Afreximbank Afri-Caribbean Forum in Grenada, she signed the initial Letter of Interest for the project alongside the St Kitts government. “With this port, we move from promise to throughput, from talk to tonnage,” she declared.
In Jamaica, Maina addressed the Caribbean Investment Forum, confirming the project’s timeline and reinforcing the strategic value of a 7-day direct shipping route from Lagos to St Kitts.
Her week concluded in Trinidad, where she delivered a keynote titled “Why Caribbean and Africa Trade and Investment Matter”. There, she connected trade infrastructure with broader goals like youth employment, export diversification, and food security.
Expected to create 600 construction jobs initially and unlock $300 million in follow-on private capital, the St Kitts project positions one of the smallest Commonwealth nations as a vital logistics hub between 19 African and 12 Caribbean member states.
By placing execution in the hands of the private sector, with Gemini Integrated Commodities co-investing, the initiative emphasizes action over rhetoric — and sets a new precedent for South–South cooperation led from Nigeria.
