A Nigerian private firm, Gemini Integrated Commodities, has signed a $40 million agreement to develop a deep-water port and special economic zone in St. Kitts and Nevis, in a deal backed by Afreximbank.
The agreement was signed on July 28 during the Afri-Caribbean Trade and Investment Forum in Grenada. The firm’s founder, Aisha Maina, signed on behalf of Gemini Integrated Commodities, while the Minister of Agriculture, Samal Duggins, signed on behalf of the government of St. Kitts and Nevis. Prime Minister Terrance Drew witnessed the signing.
The project includes the construction of a Panamax-class port in the capital, Basseterre, and the development of a 10 square kilometre economic zone focused on agro-processing, bonded warehousing, and light manufacturing.
Maina said feasibility and environmental studies are expected to begin in August, with financial close projected for the first quarter of 2026.
She explained that the project is intended to facilitate direct shipping between West Africa and the Caribbean by removing the need for cargo to transit through Europe. “Africa and the Caribbean need assets, not just aspirations. With this port we move from promise to throughput, from talk to tonnage,” she said.
Maina, who is also Managing Director of Aquarian Consult, has led a trade mission across Grenada, Jamaica, and Trinidad as part of a broader effort to expand private sector involvement in trans-Atlantic trade.
At the Caribbean Investment Forum in Jamaica on July 30, Maina spoke about the role of private capital and execution in shaping sustainable trade between Africa and the Caribbean. “Without direct investment and execution, progress would stall,” she said.
She reiterated this position on August 3 in Trinidad, where she delivered a keynote at the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Symposium. There, she drew a connection between logistics infrastructure and wider development goals, including job creation, food security, and increased exports.
The St. Kitts project is the latest step in a broader collaboration between African and Caribbean stakeholders. The initiative gained momentum following the Afri-Caribbean Investment Summit held in Abuja and was further strengthened in June when a chartered flight conveyed 120 Nigerian entrepreneurs to St. Kitts.
Maina said the project is expected to attract up to $300 million in additional private capital over time and contribute to regional efforts to improve trade links, logistics capacity, and industrial output.