The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business was established in 1994 and has members all throughout Africa and Canada. Its headquarters are in Toronto. The Chamber is an independent, non-profit group that collaborates closely with organizations and governments in Canada and Africa. Their affordable membership costs are made possible by the sponsorships provided by a number of current Chamber sponsors from the private sector. The Chamber’s objective is to accelerate trade and investment through world-class networking and information-sharing events. As an independent not-for-profit organization, they do not receive money from the government and are grateful to their kind donors for helping them carry out this mission.
The Chamber’s Think Tank Perspectives
The information-sharing mandate of the Canada-Africa Chamber of Business includes thought leadership from a range of commercial, civil society, and public sector experts. The think tank function of the Chamber cultivates thought leadership through events, producing unique viewpoints, insights, and suggestions particular to trade and investment between Canada and Africa.
The Chamber is happy to support the interchange of a wide range of ideas, despite the fact that they don’t take any particular policy positions. Two independent programs—Free Trade Unit & Office in Ghana, and their collaboration with McGill University—are the results of this work.
Collaboration With McGill University
The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business and McGill University have launched a new collaboration following the Forum on the African Continent Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) which was co-hosted by officials of the governments of Ghana and Senegal.
The new partnership announcement means McGill University and The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business (CACB) will work together on training, research, advising, and consulting projects, mentoring programs, networking events, and information sharing. All in an effort to support global and multilateral efforts for sustainable development.
The goal is information exchange through world-class events and programs, policy research, and scholarly work on Canada-Africa affairs. The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business’s president, Garreth Bloor, said. “Our members, who range from early-stage businesses to well-established corporations, are poised to greatly benefit from a new initiative to which we are proud partners with McGill University…”.
Benefits of Learning at McGill
According to Professor Fabrice Labeau, Deputy Provost for Student Life and Learning at McGill, “Our African Studies department serves as an example of McGill’s sustained connection with Africa. It was the first of its sort in Canada when it opened in 1969. In addition, with 200 years of McGill history, our enormous alumni network still has a significant impact in Africa and around the world…”
Support by the MCF Program
- The Mastercard Foundation (MCF) Scholars Program, which has supported over 100 African scholars since 2013, is an example of McGill’s current partnerships in Africa.
- Since 2020, the program has also included a Transitions Project which aims to support scholars’ transitions to entrepreneurship or employment with an impact in Africa.
Many Opportunities for Students
Partners can contribute matching funds through an experimental McGill MCF Transitions Fund (MCF-TF). According to Dr. Nii Addy, associate director for Africa Outreach at McGill, this is done “for co-creating or scaling entrepreneurship and employment-creation projects with funded Scholars and recent graduates.”
According to Sebastian Spio-Garbrah, Chair of The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business and Special Envoy to the AfCFTA Secretariat in Ghana, “Canada is Africa’s trusted third party and an honest broker…”. Therefore, working with the private sector directly is important, but so is collaborating with Canadian and African leaders to foster an atmosphere that encourages trade and investment. An exciting period in Canada-Africa commerce and investment is here, and Dr. Nii Addy in particular deserves praise for his vision and foresight.
CACB has stated in recent times that it feels honoured to collaborate with the McGill Mastercard Foundation Transitions Project which results from its connection with McGill University.
The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business’s Free Trade Agreement
The African Continental Free Trade Agreement was established by Canada, a nation that was founded on free trade, as an honest broker and dependable third party.
The Chamber’s Free Trade Unit, which is largely based at the headquarters in Ghana, is committed to strengthening free trade and the institutions that underpin it. It supports the activities of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement Secretariat. The Fraser Institute in Canada demonstrates that economic freedom, which is crucial for trade and investment and assures overall prosperity and human well-being, is dependent on free trade.
The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business has been formed to bring about major changes in trade, entrepreneurial efforts, and educational exchanges, and create more opportunities for women entrepreneurs. To learn more about their services, please visit here: https://canadaafrica.ca
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