Why not Africa? That's the question Canada needs to be asking

Why not Africa? It’s the question that the world is already asking, and must be the question at the centre of Canada’s expansion of trade and investment relationships. There is an unprecedented opportunity for a renewed relationship between Canada and Africa which sheds colonial histories, and is based in mutual interests, reciprocity, and respect. Forgoing this means Canada risks a trillion-dollar opportunity to move in lock-step with a continent where growth rates have not only surpassed every other region of the world, but also exceeded all expectations. The data is clear; that many major economies are already pursuing intensified and comprehensive trade and foreign policy partnerships should be a strong signal that we risk being left behind. Stepping back from a strong Canada-Africa Strategy may leave us without a real seat at the table while jeopardizing the progress Canada has made bilaterally and regionally with the continent through existing trade frameworks, partnerships in health innovation, and in the pursuit of peace and security. A piecemeal engagement approach with Africa is not only a disservice to the continent, it’s also a disservice to the many Canadian organizations and businesses which have already sought to build their own partnerships with African diaspora communities in Canada and that are working towards joint economic development. There will be no significant economic or geopolitical progress in the next century that will happen without meaningful partnership with Africa. This year alone, the African Development Bank notes that Africa is set to outperform the rest of the world in economic growth over the next two years, with real gross domestic product (GDP) averaging around four per cent in 2023 and 2024. Sub-saharan Africa will see an 86 per cent increase in its middle class reaching 212 million by 2030, and Africa’s working age population is expected to expand to one billion in the same year—expanding the labour market and creating a significant new cohort of consumers. As the ONE Campaign reported in its People’s Charter on Jobs in Africa, “Africa needs about 15 million new decent jobs every year to harness its demographic dividend, reflected by a booming young population. But the potential benefits of Africa’s youthful population are unrealised.” African leaders are massively investing in their own populations, and human capital is no longer up for export like it once was. The rigour with which the continent is pursuing trade and investment deals in both the Global North and the Global South is sophisticated, and countries as well as the African Union are hedging their bets that these partnerships will deliver significant rewards. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement will create the largest free trade area in the world, and signals that Africa is open for business. AfCFTA creates a continent-wide market across 54 countries, and the World Bank predicts that by 2035 the elimination of trade barriers and tariffs could raise incomes by seven per cent and decrease extreme poverty by 13 per cent. Supporting this work in Canada must be met with a sense of urgency, and the practical implications of this work are already at our fingertips. Globally, the absolute value of growth exports by major economies to Africa between 2001-2018 amounted to US$250-billion. And although Canada more than tripled its exports to Africa, we only captured less than one per cent of the additional global exports to Africa that the world realized in the same frame. Leveraging Canada’s critical minerals strategy for good, sustainable jobs is one path forward. Foreign mining assets now comprise 70 per cent of the of the total value of all Canadian-owned mining operations, yet Africa still only makes up 13 per cent of that total value. If Canada believes that critical minerals are indeed critical for greening the economy and meeting climate commitments, then we need to step up and play ball with the market economies that will get us there by building reciprocal partnerships which considers and respects all parties as equals. So the question we must ask ourselves is whether Canada wants to develop a comprehensive, ambitious strategy of engagement with Africa that brings together trade, diplomacy and development, or be left without a seat at the table of the youngest, fastest-growing continent in the world. Liberal MP Arielle Kayabaga, who represents London-West, Ont., is a former London city councillor, and the first Black woman to have been elected to either of these roles. Kayabaga and her family left Burundi amid a civil war to immigrate to Canada which spurred her life-long commitment to community. The Hill Times

Why not Africa? That’s the question Canada needs to be asking

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Why not Africa? That’s the question Canada needs to be asking

There is a rare chance for a renewed relationship between Canada and Africa. Forgoing this means we risk a trillion-dollar opportunity to move in lock-step with a continent where growth rates have not only surpassed every other region of the world, but also exceeded all expectations.

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