On 13 June 2025, the P.J. Patterson Institute for Africa-Caribbean Advocacy at The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, held a monumental press conference for the official launch of the Africa-Caribbean Hub for Generative Artificial Intelligence at The UWI, Mona.
This pioneering AI Hub project is a collaborative initiative between The UWI’s P.J. Patterson Institute for Africa-Caribbean Advocacy, the Economic Empowerment and Global Learning Project, and Lafayette College’s Policy Studies Programme, with vital funding from AFREXIM Bank. The Hub aims to significantly enhance regional capacity in artificial intelligence, fostering deeper Africa-Caribbean collaboration to leverage the vast opportunities of the digital era. The press conference provided a comprehensive overview of the Hub’s vision, goals, anticipated impact, and outlined avenues for institutional engagement and partnerships.
The moderator for the proceedings was Professor Paulette Ramsay, Research Fellow at the P.J. Patterson Institute, who welcomed the media houses and invited guests from within The UWI community and affiliates of the Institute.
Statesman-in-Residence of the P.J. Patterson Institute, The Most Honourable P.J. Patterson, addressed the audience on the overall objectives and justification for the AI Hub for Africa and the Caribbean. The project lead, Professor Gladstone Hutchinson of Lafayette College and former head of the Planning Institute of Jamaica, also addressed the media on the nature and aspects of the Hub for Artificial Intelligence and its potential role in the sustainable development of Africa and the Caribbean.
Kindly see our gallery for pictures from this historic launch and the presentation by The Most Honourable P.J. Patterson.
