May 2025
Dear Members and Friends,
The Africa CEO Forum currently underway - having brought together over 2,000 business leaders, investors and policymakers in Abidjan - has seen major announcements, including the Chamber's new agreement with the Africa Prosperity Network (APN), signed and witnessed at the Canadian Embassy in Côte d'Ivoire, during the Official Canadian Reception on the eve of the Africa CEO Forum.
The strategic Memorandum of Understanding with APN, signed on Sunday, establishes a framework for collaboration, event reciprocity, and new joint initiatives to accelerate Canada-Africa trade and investment. Read More
The Chamber is pleased to serve as a co-sponsor of the Canada Program during the Africa CEO Forum, to which major announcements are still forthcoming - all thanks to our major supporters.
Observers of the MoU Signing, joined by Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, Chair of the Africa Prosperity Network (left) and Paula Caldwell St-Onge, Chair of the Board of The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business (right), with Pierre Boivin (centre), a Board Director at The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business.
Chamber Board Chair, Paula Caldwell St-Onge, who previously served as Director General for Pan African Affairs in the Government of Canada, emphasized the practical impact of the recent agreement with the Africa Prosperity Network: "This MoU includes tangible commitments to reciprocity between our organizations' extensive program offerings and establishes a framework for new collaborative initiatives that will directly support the acceleration of Canada-Africa trade and investment."
"I would like to extend special thanks to former Board Chair Sebastian Spio-Garbrah for his leadership in bringing this initiative to fruition," added St-Onge during her remarks at the Opening Reception of the Canada Program.
President Hakainde Hichilema to open the 4th Canada-Africa Business Conference in Zambia, sponsored by Hatch
Tomorrow we look forward to announcing further details of 4th Canada-Africa Business Conference that will take place in Lusaka from 29-30 September 2025.
The President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr. Hakainde Hichilema, is set to open the two-day program on 29 September at the InterContinental Lusaka, during the Official Opening Ceremony, underscoring the country’s commitment Canadian and international trade and investment, drawing attention to Zambia and African markets as a whole, through Zambia’s role as both a business destination and gateway market to the continent for Canada’s dynamic private sector.
Members' Luncheon - May 1, 2025 in the Ottawa Capital Region
Together with our members, we were delighted to once again welcome leaders from the Government of Canada and representatives of over two dozen African Governments to our annual luncheon at the Royal Ottawa in Gatineau, Quebec.
Focused on the role of the private sector in trade and investment, the Chamber's leadership presented key areas of Chamber work, with case studies on each. Read More
Our upcoming and recent events tabled include - but are not limited to - programs in Côte d'Ivoire, Zambia, South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe.
Join us at Africa Accelerating 2025: September 8-9 (Canada) & 25-26 (South Africa)
We are delighted to announce Goodmans LLP as a Major Sponsor and host of this year's Africa Accelerating conference in Toronto, under the leadership of Randy McAuley, a partner in the business law group at Goodmans and a board director at the Chamber.
The Africa Accelerating 2025 program will comprise conferences in both Canada and South Africa, including Cape Town from 25-26 September 2025.
During a momentous year where Canada leads the G7 and South Africa heads the G20, as the first African country to do so, we look forward to welcoming leaders accelerating Canada-Africa trade and investment from among all members and guests. Read More
Email members@canadaafrica.ca for more.
Above (left): Randy McAuley, Partner at Goodmans LLP, our major sponsor and host of the Africa Accelerating 2025 program in Canada. (Right): Last year's Africa Accelerating Day 2 program at Goodmans LLP welcomed CEOs, Ministerial leadership and entrepreneurs.
With key proceedings of this year's Africa Accelerating program in South Africa, the Chamber was delighted to engage with University of Cape Town Vice-Chancellor Professor Mosa Moshabela last month, on the occasion of his visit to Canada. Discussions on the role of university research for accelerating trade and investment will be part of upcoming conference deliberations in line with the Chamber's 'information-sharing' mandate.
Left: University of Cape Town Alumni and Friends, including several Chamber members. Right: Samantha Mandigora (centre), a Senior Advisor at the Chamber and Regional Director of UCT Canada, joined by Vice-Chancellor Professor Mosa Moshabela (left) and Professor Quinton Johnson, Executive Director of UCT's International Academic Programmes Office (IAPO (right)
RECENT MEMBER AND PARTNER ENGAGEMENTS
Mighty Canada Growth & Opportunity Summit: April 29, 2025: Toronto
The Chamber was pleased to address and participate in the Mighty Canada Growth & Opportunity Summit - under the leadership of board director KC Goundiam, whose firm, B2BeeMatch. Read More
Supporting Members attending SIAL: April 29 - May 1, 2025: Toronto
The Chamber participated in SIAL this year for the first time, on-hand to support members and brief new prospective members . SIAL serves to "ignite innovation within the agri-food industry, empowering companies in this sector to gain deeper insights into market dynamics and global food trends".
Members of the Madagascar delegation (left) to SIAL and the country pavilion (right).
Members' Briefings: Accelerating Canada's Private Sector Growth Story with African Markets - April 15-16: Calgary
For members and guests in Calgary, the President provided updates on the latest work at the Chamber during a series of meetings, which included opportunities for members to explore maximizing the use of corporate member benefits. Read More
We were also pleased to table further details for our conferences in Lusaka and Windhoek, among our upcoming planned programs, in addition to others in the planning phase - as shared with members - for numerous markets. Read More
Above (Left): Mr. Patrick Mbambo, founder of Mbambo Construction, which serves Calgary, Okotoks, High River, Vulcan and Southern Alberta. (Centre): Companies from Calgary and Edmonton were among those who addressed the most recent Canada-Africa Business Conference in Harare (Right): Honourary Consul of Côte d'Ivoire to Alberta, Mr. Kazir Coulibaly is currently leading the Côte d’Ivoire – Alberta Business Forum, taking place from July 2-4, 2025, in Calgary. Email alberta@canadaafrica.ca for more info.
Diversification of Trade: Canada’s Tipping Point - Ottawa
The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business was delighted to participate in this dynamic program of the Africa Trade Desk on April 2, bringing together trade agencies, private sector leaders, and international trade experts to discuss real-world strategies for diversifying Canadian trade. View media coverage of the event here
Above: Susan Namulindwa addresses delegates (left) while Chamber members and friends (right) were among those who moderated and addressed sessions during the day-long program.
Africa Strategy Breakfast: The Role of the Private Sector - Toronto
The Government of Canada launched Canada's Africa Strategy: A Partnership for Shared Prosperity and Security on March 7. On the occasion of the launch, a number of stakeholders - among them Chamber members - were invited by the Government of Canada to join a briefing on the strategy. Read More
Over 600 attendees (above) joined our Africa Mining Breakfast and MineAfrica's 23rd Annual Investing in African Mining Seminar
The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business 26th Annual African Mining Breakfast & MineAfrica’s 23rd Annual Investing in African Mining seminar presented by Hatch featured 56 speakers and 620 attendees throughout the morning on March 4th at the Sheraton Hotel.
The breakfast featured addresses from numerous leaders, including:
- The Hon. Ahmed Hussen, Canada’s Minister of International Development
- The Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Republic of Ghana
- Abdul Rahman Amoadu, Managing Director - Africa and Canada, Newmont
- Paul Lefebvre, Mayor, City of Greater Sudbury
- Joe Lombard, Vice-Chair, Hatch
- Paula Caldwell St-Onge, Chair, The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business
MineAfrica's spotlight sessions also featured country overviews by African Mining Ministers, project updates by mining CEOs and presentations on current trends in African mining by expert advisers. MineAfrica also had 11 exhibitors (and 85 delegates) in the PDAC Trade Show. View the full program here and read the 2025 Report.
Recap: 2025 Investing in African Mining Indaba Programming: Cape Town, February 2-6, 2025
Chamber President, Garreth Bloor once again addressed attendees at the Canadian High Commissioner's VIP Reception, underscoring Canada-Africa collaboration through private sector growth, at an event which kicked off Team Canada's participation at the 2025 Mining Indaba.
We were pleased to support members with participation at a number of high-level networking and information-sharing events, in addition to bilaterals and Chamber leadership meetings that mapped out upcoming programs on the African continent. Read More
Above: Past Mining Indaba Canada Receptions with members, including Elephant Trade-Services DRC (Gabriel Tshitende), B2Gold (Neil Reeder), MineAfrica Inc (Wayne Floreani) and B2BeeMatch (KC Goundiam).
UPCOMING MEMBER OR PARTNER-RELATED ENGAGEMENTS
3rd edition of the Franco-Ontarian Business Forum – May 15, 2025: Sudbury
The 3rd edition of the Franco-Ontarian Business Forum Sudbury takes place this Thursday. After successful events in Ottawa in 2023 and Toronto in 2024, the Franco-Ontarian Business Forum is back in full force for its third edition in Sudbury on Thursday, May 15, 2025. If any members are attending, please advise us if we can be of support.
Invest in Ethiopia 2025: May 12-13, 2025 - Skylight Hotel: Addis Ababa
The Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in Ottawa has very kindly advised The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business that the Ethiopian Investment Commission and the Ministry of Finance are jointly organizing a High Level Business Forum which will be held next month.
Read More or email us for more information on participating: ethiopia@canadaafrica.ca
Zambia’s 59th International Trade Fair, July 2-8 2025, Ndola
Under the theme: “Enhancing Business Resilience through Innovation and Trade”, the Zambian High Commission has generously extended an invitation to members of the Chamber interested in attending the 59th International Trade Fair. Read More
Investment Opportunities: The Zambian High Commission is sharing investment opportunities. Click here to view the latest for the Lusaka Mass Transit Railway. Email zambia@canadaafrica.ca for more information. There are also opportunities available for a Green Hydrogen based Synthetic Fertiliser Project, a Biomass Green Methanol Project and a 1000MW Storage Project.
From September 29-30, 2025 we are delighted to be in Zambia for the 4th Canada-Africa Business Conference, Sponsored by Hatch at the InterContinental Lusaka. Read More
Canada-Africa Trade and Investment Expo 2025 - August 4 to 5, 2025: Toronto
Connect with top-tier buyers eager for Canadian innovations to solve their most pressing challenges. Chamber members may email members@canadaafrica.ca for complimentary passes. Read More
Canada Africa Fintech Summit 2025, August 5-8, 2025
The summit aims to foster collaboration, innovation, and sustainable development within the fintech industry - with a specific focus on the role of fintech talent as a catalyst for green transformation. Read More on the Official Event website of the organizers.
From September 29-30, 2025 we are delighted to be in Zambia for the 4th Canada-Africa Business Conference, Sponsored by Hatch at the InterContinental Lusaka. Read More
Maximize your corporate member benefits!
If you would like to request a meeting to discuss maximizing your participation and member benefits, please don’t hesitate to contact us: members@canadaafrica.ca. Thank you to all who’ve engaged thus far, at recent meetings online and in-person, across Canada and on the African continent.
Our latest President’s Report, covers our 2024 event programming, recognizing the outcomes, successes and dozens of key people and companies who made it possible. Download the Report.
Thank you to our generous high-level sponsoring supporters: Chamber Headline Sponsor, Elephant Trade-Services DRC, alongside Major Sponsors including 6ix, APO Group, B2Gold, Bramex, Boreal College, Bishworld, Cypher Environmental, EKMM, Hatch, EY, Lambano Full Services, Goodmans LLP, MineAfrica Inc., Nexim Healthcare Consultants Inc and SDF Financial.
Best wishes from all of us!
Garreth Bloor (President), Ateau Zola (Vice President, Natural Resources), Susan Namulindwa (Vice President, Canada), Jacques NdoutouMvé (Vice President, Africa)
Sebastian Spio-Garbrah (Past Chair & AfCFTA Free Trade Unit, Accra), Toye Abioye (Business Development and Partnerships) and Karen Woolcock (Senior Associate: In-Bound Delegations/KY Concierge); Haba-Maria Konaré (Office of the President)
About Us
President, Operations, Membership, Vice Presidents and Associates (queries@canadaafrica.ca)
Board of Directors (board@canadaafrica.ca)
Council of Senior Advisors (council@canadaafrica.ca)
Think Tank Perspectives and Free Trade Unit (thinktank@canadaafrica.ca / freetrade@canadaafrica.ca)
For more information, please contact:
The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business Head Office
55 Bloor Street West, RTO Manulife Building, PO Box 19553
Toronto, Ontario M4W 3T9 Tel: 647-667-1223 Email: members@canadaafrica.ca