Thank you, Mr. Chair, for inviting me. I'll be honest and frank in my comments.
Let me begin by congratulating the committee for this important study on Canada's approach to Africa. It is a clear sign of renewed commitment towards the continent.
Mr. Chair, Canada is at least two decades behind when it comes to deepening its engagement on the African continent. Nevertheless, it is still a pivotal moment for security and economic transformation in the region. I hope that this study will help Canada to build on past strengths, regain its position as a moral power and deepen engagements in the region.
In that light, I wish to recommend at the outset that Canada needs to develop a comprehensive and coherent Africa strategy. This strategy should position Canada as a key security, development and diplomatic partner of Africa. The strategy must be the springboard for Canada to punch above its weight, as it used to do on specific issues on the African continent.
The overriding principles of the strategy should be mutual respect, reciprocity and non-indifference to Africa's agency and its growing geopolitical and geo-economic space. To be sustainable, a Canada-Africa strategy must be resilient and adaptable, and a truly multi-party product that is resistant to changes of government. To be effective, the strategy must synergize security, development and diplomatic efforts.
I offer these specific recommendations.
One, the proposed Canada-Africa economic co-operation strategy must be an integral part of a comprehensive and coherent Africa strategy.
On security, Canada must lead efforts to strengthen EU-NATO inter-regional security co-operation and build the capacity of African peacekeeping training centres of excellence, which it helped to establish in the early 2000s.
On diplomacy, Canada must increase the number of its embassies in African states and establish permanent missions in the regional economic communities to give effectiveness and visibility to Canada's engagement in the region.
On development, Canada must establish innovative [Inaudible—Editor] programs modelled after the defunct Canada fund for Africa and the Canada investment fund for Africa to help build capacity of African and Canadian partners.
An essential component—this is my last recommendation—of a Canada-Africa strategy must be a special fund to foster educational partnerships between Canadian and African universities with a goal of producing policy-relevant research to sustain the strategy into the future.
Mr. Chair, the African continent has always been a space for geopolitical and geo-economic competition. Despite significant development and security challenges, including hybrid threats, Africa is projected to be the fastest-growing regional economy in 2024.
The African Union regional economic communities and member states are undertaking major policy reforms to strengthen democratic governance, peace and security, and economic development through institutions like the African peace and security architecture and the African continental free trade area. These reinforce African agency and its potential as a major powerhouse in the future.
In fact, Canada's own economic interest is growing, particularly in mining and merchandise trade, which are valued at $37 billion and $16.2 billion respectively in 2023, yet for the most part, the region has never been a foreign policy priority of Canadian governments, as Africa is widely perceived as poor and conflict-ridden.
I strongly believe that Canada must shift from this foreign policy behaviour. To be sure, Canada has a moral identity in Africa, as it lacks colonial baggage and is not perceived as belligerent. This soft power uniquely positions Canada as a potentially attractive major player in the region.
Canada's engagement must reflect a 21st century Africa. Thus, Canada should, for the first time, craft a comprehensive and coherent Africa strategy to build mutually beneficial partnerships with African actors and secure Canadian interests into the future.
Mr. Chair, if it pleases the committee, I would be happy to submit a detailed brief of my presentation.
Thank you very much.