South Africa envoy urges Canada to speed up African trade push
High Commissioner Rieaz Shaik says South Africa is negotiating a new strategic partnership with Canada while praising Alberta's outward-looking trade efforts.
Why it matters
Alberta's agricultural and trade sector could see new export opportunities if Canada strengthens economic ties with South Africa and broader African markets.
South Africa's High Commissioner to Canada, Rieaz Shaik, says Ottawa's cautious approach to trade in Africa risks leaving Canada behind competitors such as China and the United Arab Emirates that have built closer economic ties on the continent. Shaik told The Canadian Press that Canada still treats African nations mainly as recipients of aid rather than as growing markets, despite its own Africa strategy calling for a shift in approach.
Shaik said he is pushing for a strategic partnership agreement covering agribusiness, infrastructure, mining, energy and advanced technologies, anchored by an updated investment protection pact. Canada last signed such an agreement with South Africa in 1997, and talks to modernize it have stalled partly over how investor disputes should be resolved.
South Africa would serve as Canada's entry point into the wider African Continental Free Trade Area, while Canada could help South Africa access markets in the U.S., Mexico and Latin America, Shaik said. He pointed to Canadian firms AGT Foods, McCain and Hatch, already active in South Africa, as candidates for further continental expansion.
Shaik singled out Alberta and Saskatchewan for building strong industry 'ecosystems,' noting a South African delegation visited in July to study agricultural research and trade strategies, including work at Alberta's Olds College. He said the delegation was impressed by how outward-focused both provinces are in attracting international market interest.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.