The Canadian Council on Africa (CCAfrica) and the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) recently joined as partners for the “G20 Business Leaders: Partnering with Africa’s Dynamic Markets” conference, which immediately preceded the G8/G20 Summits and was held at the Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre, in Toronto, Ontario, from June 23-24, 2010.
The conference enjoyed the support of the European Business Council for Africa and the Mediterranean, Business Unity South Africa, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and Nigerian Economic Summit Group.
CCAfrica and CCA believe that business leaders from G20 countries currently have a unique opportunity to partner with Africa in a way that helps grow economies both in Africa and in G20 countries. Africa is attracting increasingly higher levels of investment —close to $144 billion in the past two years—and trade with the developed world is now a multiple of this number. Much of this economic activity has been rewarding for both the African continent and its non-African partners. Even more can be accomplished through additional partnerships between the public and private sectors, be they from Africa or from elsewhere. It is in this context that our two organizations designed and hosted this event.
This one-of-a-kind conference brought together senior North American, European, Asian and African private sector and government officials with a vested interest in investment and growth on the continent. Registrants had the opportunity to hear remarks about Africa becoming an economic partner with G20 countries from President Jacob Zuma of South Africa and President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria.
Registrants also learned about key growth sectors in Africa, opportunities, challenges and possible solutions in doing business in Africa, and various public and private sector perspectives on Africa’s business climate, while meeting potential business partners from across the globe through an array of networking opportunities. The conference ensured that the private sector voice was heard by G20 public sector leaders meeting in Canada.
The Canadian Council on Africa (CCAfrica) is the only pan-Canadian organization dedicated to the economic development of Africa. With over 150 members active in every sector of the economy - including education, engineering, infrastructure, natural resources, energy, finance, legal, consulting, communications, information technology, manufacture, agri-food, environment, sustainable development and health - and with 4 offices located across Canada, CCAfrica is at the forefront of Canada's economic relationship with Africa.
Established in 1993, The Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) is a nonpartisan 501(c) 3 membership organization of nearly 200 U.S. companies dedicated to strengthening the commercial relationship between the U.S. and Africa. CCA members represent nearly 85 percent of total U.S. private sector investments in Africa. The organization is dedicated to bringing together potential business partners and to showcase business opportunities on the continent.
