Thank you for that question; I like it very much.
I worked with companies for 20 years, as a sales representative.
I kind of belong to the corporation here.
The service was established over 125 years ago. Our presence in Africa is relatively small.
We have offices in the most important countries—Ghana, of course, South Africa, Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, but also Senegal and some East African countries.
Essentially, we want to ensure that Canadian companies have access to quality distribution networks and suppliers, and that they are aware of the law and our expectations regarding corporate conduct.
When it comes to Africa, most of our investments are in the mining sector, which in itself is a challenge. There are many challenges related to this sector here in Canada, but also internationally. When it comes to relations with local communities, we work a lot on the issue of corporate social responsibility.
The investment aspect is less important in Africa, because the latter exports very little capital. That said, we're happy to work with any African investor who would like to invest in Canada.
To conclude, I'd like to talk about a pillar that has received very little mention: the agreements that enable the creation of a favourable business environment for Canadian companies. We don't have many free trade agreements, but we are putting in place investment protection agreements. In the short term, we will be negotiating such agreements with Nigeria. In addition, there are several other countries where we invest heavily in the mining sector.