Thank you so much.
It's an extremely important question. I think the focus should be trade and investment. African countries need more trade and investment, and I think that is what provides the best mutual interests between African and Canadian corporations, but also citizens.
Let me give a very specific example about the sector. The African Continental Free Trade Area is creating a single market, so now we are not speaking about 55 countries; we are speaking about one single market. As of now, 54 of the 55 members of the African Union have signed the African Continental Free Trade Area, so that's one dimension.
To be specific about some sectors, in the automotive industry, for example, Africa will need between four and five million vehicles by 2035, which means that about 20 additional full-size manufacturing plants could be created on the continent in the automotive industry only. Speaking about agriculture or the agri-industry, here, too, the market is projected to reach $1 trillion U.S. by 2030, and Canada also has a phenomenal advantage there. On transport and logistics, the continent will need, for African trade, approximately two million new trucks, 100,000 rail wagons, 250 aircraft and more than 100 vessels by 2030.
Those are areas where Canada has a sustained competitive advantage and where it is possible to start today, not tomorrow. It is possible to engage in deal engagement today. As long as we respect the rule of origin, starting in a given country means that the entire continent could deliver it.
I'm happy to expand on those. My latest book, Unlocking Africa's Business Potential, shares many of those trends.