World
South Africa Remains Key Market for Canadian Goods, Services in Africa—Nokaneng
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh
The 17th Toronto Global Forum was held under the theme Fostering Economic Resilience from October 11-13, 2023, in Toronto Canada.
According to reports, the forum gathered over 170 speakers and more than 3,000 attendees from all over the world.
The central themes at the Toronto Global Forum revolved around the global economy, infrastructure, finance, innovation, energy and sustainable development.
Through its ability to foster connections and collaboration, the Toronto Global Forum stands as an exceptional and distinctive platform bringing together decision-makers from all spheres of society to tackle the most pressing issues of the changing times.
From its launch in 2006 which included only a small number of sessions condensed into one day, the Toronto Global Forum has grown to a fully packed three-day event that has gained international recognition.
Brand South Africa, in collaboration with the South African High Commission in Canada, and the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA), represented South Africa at the 17th Edition of The Toronto Global Forum.
The overall aim of South Africa’s participation was to promote South Africa’s green economy as an investment destination for North American Institutional Investors.
South Africa continues to stand at the forefront of influencing the global agenda on investing in the global green economy as a pathway to sustainable development.
The delegation actively participated in a panel discussion on October 13, which focused on giving an overview of South Africa as an investment destination for major infrastructure and decarbonised/green projects.
After the three-day business forum, our media executive, Kestér Kenn Klomegâh, had an in-depth discussion with Lefentse Nokaneng, General Manager for Research at Brand South Africa, over aspects of the current bilateral relations between South Africa and Canada. Here are the interview excerpts:
After participating in the business forum in Toronto, what are the popular sentiments about exploring business and investment with Canadians?
South Africa’s participation at the Toronto Global Forum is part of Brand South Africa’s mandate to leverage global platforms such as these to promote South Africa as a favourable trade and investment destination.
South Africa and Canada have maintained bilateral relations since the advent of democracy in South Africa with increasing trade between the two countries. One positive sentiment about exploring business and investment in Canada is that it is a stable and prosperous country with a strong economy and diverse business opportunities. Canadians, in turn, have shown deep interest in South Africa as an emerging market with abundant natural resources and a diversified economy which serves as a gateway into the African Continental Free Trade Agreement Area (AfCFTA). South Africa’s infrastructure drive and transition into a green economy offers investment opportunities for Canadian Pension Fund Managers.
By the way, how do you estimate the economic and investment potentials in Canada for the Republic of South Africa, and possibly the southern African region?
Being one of the most diverse and largest economies in Africa, South Africa stands as a key market for Canadian goods and services on the continent. In 2022, the bilateral merchandise trade between Canada and South Africa reached $2.77 billion. This trade comprised $473.3 million in exports from Canada and $2.3 billion in imports from South Africa.
In consultation with the Business Council of Canada, we project that export opportunities for Canada in Africa could reach $6.6 billion by 2030. This would represent a $4.1 billion increase in Canada’s export performance from the recorded average of $2.5 billion over the 2016-2018 period.
Canada is an investor in South Africa. Canadian investments focus on the mineral and mining sector, as well as transportation, food processing, hospitality, and information and communication technologies. South Africa’s infrastructure investment drive and Just Energy Transition represent an opportunity for Canada to increase its investment in South Africa.
What steps have, both Canada and South Africa taken previously to forge economic cooperation? Has that changed in tapping the existing opportunities for cooperation with South Africa?
The scope of bilateral relations between Canada and South Africa is extensive with cooperation extending into the areas of foreign policy, development, energy, science and technology, agriculture, mining and mineral resources/equipment, education, arts and culture, and transport.
Canada and South Africa hold strategic annual bilateral consultations that review the work of working groups that cover the topics listed above, which cover issues as diverse as foreign policy, trade and investment, innovation, science and technology, the environment and climate change.
Bilateral cooperation between Canada and South Africa is coordinated within the framework of a Declaration of Intent on Strengthened Cooperation, which was signed in 2003 and laid the foundation for the Annual Consultations (AC). The AC is co-chaired by the Director-General of International Relations and Cooperation and the Deputy Minister of Global Affairs respectively.
Concerted dialogue occurs with Canada’s High Commission in South Africa directed towards deepening the relationship between Canada and South Africa, especially around economic diplomacy. It is conceded on both sides that there is a need for a ‘reset’ of the relationship.
It is expected that Canada’s Africa Engagement Framework will inform its economic engagement strategy with Africa. The Canadians have been paying particular attention to the African Continental Free Trade Agreement Area (AfCFTA) and will seek to benefit from the AfCFTA as a means to diversify its trade away from the United States and China.
Can we also talk a bit about Canada’s tourism to South Africa despite the geographical distance? And finally what potentials are there to develop this sphere of business, especially with the changing global situation?
Globally, tourism has grappled with recovery post-COVID-19. We have witnessed an 82% increase in tourist arrivals from Canada. In 2022, tourist arrival numbers from Canada were 18,000 and in 2023 this grew to 34,000. While the recorded growth is significant, it still represents only half of the tourist visitors from the United States to South Africa. This signals that there is still much work to be done to attract more visitors from Canada. Those who have visited South Africa love its beautiful scenery, cultural experiences, favourable weather and South African’s affordability as a tourist destination.
Canadian passport holders are able to travel visa-free to South Africa for up to 90 days on business and we intend to capitalise on that to drive increased tourism into South Africa for those seeking to come to the country for business and leisure – Bleisure travel.
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh
One year after launching a continental initiative designed to make excellence in public governance the foundation of a new drive to transform Africa, LEAD, the Africa CEO Forum’s pan-African leadership programme, takes stock of its first cohort and announces the launch of its second class. Built around a community of senior public decision-makers committed to modernising the state and to the continent’s digital transformation, this new cohort gathers for three days, from 28 to 30 August 2026, on the campus of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) in Rabat, Morocco.
A second cohort that confirms the programme’s durability
For its second class, LEAD brings together 50 fellows, senior public decision-makers engaged in the design and implementation of the continent’s economic and social policies. Over three days, participants take part in collective and collaborative working sessions, peer exchanges and meetings with figures from the public, business and academic spheres, in order to compare their practices and build shared responses to the major challenges of governance.
Speakers include Mehdi Jomaa, former Head of Government of Tunisia, Donald Kaberuka, Managing Partner & Founder, SouthBridge Group, and former President of the African Development Bank, Serge Ekue, President of the West African Development Bank (BOAD), Sanjay Jain, co-creator of India Stack and Director of Digital Public Infrastructure, Gates Foundation, and Mauricio Cardenas, Professor of Professional Practice in Global Leadership, Columbia SIPA, and former Finance Minister of Colombia (2012-2018).
They share their reform experience, their public policy trade-offs and their view of continental priorities. Throughout the programme, the cohort benefits from the dedicated support of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Asafo & Co, BOAD, BCG and the African Development Bank, LEAD partners that have chosen to invest in the transformation of African public action.
LEAD, a pan-African community serving public action
Created by the AFRICA CEO FORUM, LEAD is a leadership programme whose ambition is to reposition Africa’s administrative elite as a driver of reform, of performance and of dialogue with all the continent’s stakeholders.
Designed for senior African public decision-makers, LEAD sets out to build a lasting community of public officials able to share their experience, compare their practices and build common solutions to the major economic, technological and institutional transformations under way in Africa. That community is structured around three pillars: modernizing the state, improving public services, and strengthening cooperation between governments, development institutions and private-sector players.
From fellows to alumni: a long-term initiative
Made up of 36 fellows drawn from a range of administrations and institutions and representing 24 countries across the continent, LEAD’s first cohort demonstrated the quality and the potential of this community from its very first year. In less than twelve months, six of its members have taken a significant step forward: two have been appointed ministers, two have moved into strategic positions at the highest level of the state and two have been promoted to chief executive roles. These moves, which account for 16.7% of the first class, show the role LEAD plays as an accelerator of impact within African administrations.
By bringing together a new cohort of fellows every year, each of them joining the LEAD alumni community, the initiative follows a long-term trajectory: in time, to unite several hundred African public decision-makers around a shared culture of transparency, performance and regional cooperation.
A first year devoted to public service and digital public infrastructure
Throughout the year, the fellows devoted their work to strengthening African public action, to make excellence in public governance a central lever of transformation. An awareness campaign, run as part of Africa Public Service Day, brought to light those who, within the continent’s administrations and institutions, are concretely transforming public policy and improving the services offered to citizens.
Members of the cohort also took part in a special round table held in Kigali during the ACF 2026, in order to carry their thinking to a wider community of public and private leaders. That forum reinforced LEAD’s role as a platform for dialogue between the administrative elite and the continent’s economic players. Digital public infrastructure (DPI) formed the main thread of this first year of work.
Discussions covered issues at the heart of the digital sovereignty of African states: digital identity, payments, secure data exchange, interoperability, governance and the protection of citizens. This work examined the conditions under which African states are developing, in some cases, and can develop, in others, shared, open infrastructure robust enough to improve the quality of public services while supporting local innovation and preserving the capacity of public authorities to set the rules of the game.
A white paper to move from consuming technology to creating value
This year of work concludes with the publication, in collaboration with BCG, LEAD’s Knowledge Partner, of a white paper on Africa’s place in the digital economy and in artificial intelligence. With the digital economy still accounting for around 5% of African GDP, against close to 15% worldwide, the paper calls on the continent to shift from a logic of technology consumption to one of value creation.
The white paper identifies three structuring priorities for African public actors:
- Building shared digital infrastructure that serves as the backbone of public services and private innovation.
- Pooling investment in order to reach critical mass and avoid the fragmentation of efforts across the continent.
- Favouring open and interoperable architectures, with trust and governance built in by design, so as to protect citizens while stimulating the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The white paper is available here to all public decision-makers, technical partners and institutions concerned.
“LEAD’s first cohort confirms a simple conviction: Africa already has the women and men capable of profoundly transforming public action. Our responsibility, either with our partners, is to give them, at pan-African level, a space in which to compare experience, build common solutions and bring forward a new generation of public policy. With this second cohort, we want to accelerate the move from ambition to execution, in particular on digital public infrastructure and artificial intelligence, two decisive issues for sovereignty, for the effectiveness of the state and for value creation across the continent,” says Amir Ben Yahmed, President of the Africa CEO Forum.
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh
Africa is set to make history as it hosts the World Public Summit for the first time, with Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, welcoming global leaders and changemakers from July 29–30, 2026, for the landmark gathering under the theme “New World: Africa in Shaping a Shared Future.”
The inaugural African edition of the World Public Summit marks a significant milestone in the continent’s growing role in shaping international dialogue on governance, sustainable development, human-centred leadership and global cooperation.
Hosted by the World Peoples Assembly in partnership with African and international organisations, the summit will convene government officials, diplomats, business leaders, academics, journalists, youth representatives, civil society organisations and cultural leaders from across Africa and around the world.
According to Andrey Belyaninov, General Secretary of the World Peoples Assembly, “the Summit is not just a meeting—it is a space for unity. A space where the ‘values that unite us’ come to life: respect for people, openness to the world, responsibility for the future, and a commitment to creation.
“Today, we understand more clearly than ever: the future cannot be built alone. It is born in dialogue, in trust, in the ability to listen to one another and to act together.”
The programme begins on July 29 with a series of high-level roundtables and expert discussions covering Pan-African economic integration, civil society, education, scientific cooperation, cultural diplomacy and humanitarian partnerships.
The opening plenary, “Values, Development and Partnership as the Basis of a Sustainable and Just World,” will explore how African values—including Ubuntu—can help shape a more inclusive and sustainable global future. Discussions will also focus on youth leadership, innovation, civil society, ethical AI, public initiatives and international partnerships.
The summit will also showcase Africa’s creativity and innovation through the “Innovations for the Future” exhibition, the contemporary African art exhibition “Unity,” and the international exhibition “The World Paints Happiness.”
Another featured initiative is “The Zambezi River: Economy, Society, Soul,” an international interdisciplinary project exploring the river’s socioeconomic importance across Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, highlighting the shared heritage and development potential of one of Africa’s most important waterways.
The event will conclude with the adoption of the African Communiqué, reflecting the summit’s shared vision for stronger international cooperation, sustainable development and people-centred leadership.
Tsegaye Chama, General Secretary of the Global Black Centre, promised that, “The Summit will be delivered with exceptional distinction, reflecting the magnitude and spirit of the World Peoples Assembly. It embodies a unity that is not transactional, but purposeful and conscious, a unity that shapes new contours for a world that works for all peoples of the World.”
As delegates prepare to arrive in Addis Ababa, anticipation continues to build for what promises to be one of Africa’s most significant international gatherings of 2026—one that will place the continent firmly at the centre of global conversations about the future.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria regained its position as Africa’s leading destination for equity startup investment in the first half of 2026, raising $214 million in equity financing and a total of $254 million across equity and debt, according to the latest Africa: The Big Deal report.
The report, titled H1 2026: Mapping the Money, showed that Nigeria ranked second on the continent in total funding, behind Egypt, which attracted $327 million, while Kenya and South Africa followed with $126 million and $83 million, respectively.
However, the report noted that Egypt’s top position was largely driven by a single fundraising by electric mobility company Spiro, which secured $327 million, including $270 million in equity and $57 million in debt. Excluding debt financing, Nigeria emerged as Africa’s largest equity funding market in the first six months of the year.
According to the breakdown by Africa: The Big Deal, Nigeria’s equity funding of $214 million was higher than Egypt’s $183 million, while South Africa and Kenya attracted $66 million and $46 million, respectively.
Beyond funding value, Nigeria also led the continent in the number of startups that raised at least $100,000 during the review period, reclaiming the top spot after what the report described as an “underwhelming” second half of 2025.
The publication observed that Nigeria’s fundraising performance has remained relatively stable over the past few years and exceeded the $250 million mark for the first time since 2022, pointing to renewed investor confidence in the country’s startup ecosystem.
It also found that while the Big Four startup markets—Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya and South Africa—continued to dominate Africa’s investment landscape, their combined share of total funding stood at 58 per cent in the first half of 2026.
“Zooming back on the Big Four (110 out of 190 $100k+ deals, i.e. 58%), Nigeria is head and shoulders above its peers, with Egypt and Kenya almost tying, and South Africa in fourth position again,” the report noted.
The report highlighted contrasting performances among the continent’s largest startup ecosystems. While Nigeria and Egypt maintained strong funding momentum, Kenya recorded its weakest funding performance since early 2021 after a strong second half of 2025, and South Africa failed to attract $100 million in funding during the period despite leading the continent a year earlier.
Africa: The Big Deal also noted a broader shift in investor behaviour, with funding increasingly concentrated in larger transactions while early-stage investments continued to decline. According to the publication, the drop in smaller funding rounds reflects growing concerns about limited capital available for early-stage startups across Africa.
