Canada announced $246.5 million in funding, including $94 million for education,
$120 million for initiatives that will support gender equality, empowering women and girls, sexual and reproductive health and rights, $10.9 million for climate change, and
$21.6 million for peace and security. Canada also welcomed private sector agreements valued at up to $148 million.
Canadian International Development Scholarship 2030 – $80 million – consortium between Colleges and Institutes Canada, and Universities Canada
This initiative provides scholarships to citizens of countries eligible for Official Development Assistance, members of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, the Commonwealth and Small Island Developing States, primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Canadian International Development Scholarship 2030 combines access to quality graduate scholarships, tailored professional training, as well as technical and professional training opportunities both in Canada and in select developing countries. It also supports the empowerment of women to become catalysts of change in beneficiary countries. The 2030 Scholarships is an expanded initiative and successor to the Canadian Francophonie Scholarship Program (ending in 2025).
Renewal of the long-term institutional support (LTIS) – $7.8 million over three years – Commonwealth of Learning
This institutional support contributes to improve institutional and national effectiveness in leveraging open and distance learning. It supports increased equitable and inclusive access to quality learning opportunities, especially for women, girls and people living with disabilities. The Commonwealth of Learning is based in Burnaby, British Colombia.
Teaching and Learning in Fragile Contexts – $6.2 million – CODE
This initiative supports inclusive, quality, and gender-responsive education for primary students in Sierra Leone and Liberia and contributes to an increased local evidence base on education in the context of refugee and internally displaced persons in African settings. The project promotes improved learning outcomes by increasing the capacity of primary school teachers to use active-learning and gender-responsive teaching strategies and by working with education decision makers to promote and integrate gender equality and teaching methodologies.
Partners for Municipal Innovation - Women in Local Leadership – $27 million – Federation of Canadian Municipalities
This project promotes inclusive and gender-responsive municipal governance in Ghana, Benin, Zambia, Sri Lanka and Cambodia. It supports the delivery of new and improved gender-responsive services by municipalities and strengthens the long-term enabling environment for these services by promoting increased representation and leadership by women and marginalized groups in local governments, in both elected and public administration positions.
Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Nigeria (ASPIRE) – $20 million – Plan International Canada
This five-year project aims to improve the realization of sexual and reproductive health and rights for adolescent girls and women, including vulnerable populations, in Nigeria’s Bauchi and Sokoto states. The project expects to reach over 870,000 direct beneficiaries, 3,000,000 indirect beneficiaries and 1,900 intermediaries such as health facility workers, teachers, school heads, community facilitators, government officials and traditional and religious leaders.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Global Health – $15.5 million – International Development Research Centre
This initiative will support applied research focused on how responsible artificial intelligence in health systems can be designed, implemented, used, and governed towards improving sexual and reproductive health outcomes, as well as epidemic and pandemic preparedness and response. Investments will be made in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean, and will include regional hubs and a global network of excellence. The initiative builds on IDRC’s strong existing work on AI for development that includes the AI for Development Africa and the Global South AI4COVID programs. The new investment will also build on existing work with Rwandan experts to leverage AI and data science in analyzing COVID-19 data.
Sustainable Development, Human Rights, Inclusion and Equality (SHINE) – $2 million – Canadian Feed the Children
This is a three-year project to enhance the empowerment of women and girls through implementation of sustainable agricultural and agribusiness-related activities in Ethiopia and Ghana. SHINE will empower women and girls to increase yields in agricultural production, improve their income through access to agri-business opportunities, and will increase recognition of their contribution to their household and local economies. SHINE will economically empower 8,000 households, or approximately 24,000 vulnerable small-holder farmers (70% of them women and girls).
Labour rights in Ghana’s Palm Oil and Ivory Coast’s Cocoa Sectors – $1 million – Ulula
This project aims to reduce modern slavery, forced labour and child labour among farmers and workers, especially women and girls. It will empower women and girls with information and enable them with safe and anonymous mechanisms to report issues such as discrimination, violence, sexual harassment, and forced labour. It also supports local organizations and authorities to take action to protect labour and human rights.
No Woman or Girl Left Behind – $11 million – Partners In Health Canada
This project aims to contribute to improved sexual, reproductive and maternal health outcomes for women and adolescent girls in Sierra Leone and Malawi. It will support interventions to improve the provision of gender-sensitive and rights-based sexual and reproductive health services to adolescents, as well as the provision of quality services for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. It will also work to improve access to high quality comprehensive obstetric and neonatal care for women and adolescent girls.
Reducing Child, Early and Forced Marriage in Sierra Leone and Burkina Faso – $12 million – Save the Children Canada
This project aims to reduce the prevalence of child, early and forced marriage in Sierra Leone and Burkina Faso. It will support interventions to empower adolescent girls and boys, including those most marginalized, to make informed decisions about marriage and pregnancy. It will also strive to improve the social environment for adolescents to make these decisions and to strengthen the institutional environment for accelerated action on gender equality and the prevention of child, early and forced marriage.
Family Planning Response in Nigeria – $2 million – United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
Through Canada’s contributions to the UNFPA National Contraceptives Basket Fund, this project supports the procurement and distribution of quality contraceptives to public health facilities in all of Nigeria’s 36 states and aims to strengthen distribution supply chains in 17 states. The project will provide over 1 million contraceptives to public health facilities and train healthcare workers in family planning data and use.
Expanding health insurance to improve sexual and reproductive health in Nigeria – 9.5 million – Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI)
This project aims to increase coverage of gender responsive sexual, reproductive, maternal and newborn child health services in six states in Nigeria. The project expects to reach an estimated 120,000 direct beneficiaries (women, girls and children under five years old), 500,000 indirect beneficiaries and over 500 health facilities.
Women and Cocoa Communities Initiative (TogetHER) – $10 million – Socodevi
This project aims to empower women and young adults (18-35 years old) in rural cocoa-producing communities in the Ashanti and Western regions of Ghana. The training and support the project provides encourages collective savings, entrepreneurship and financial inclusion and contributes to the sustainable resilience of the cocoa sector and the equal distribution of economic benefits and opportunities.
Generating Revenue for Nutrition Ghana (GROWING) – $10 million – International Potato Center
This is a nutrition, food security and women economic empowerment project, which is particularly relevant in the context of the current food crisis. This project aims to improve the nutritional and financial security of women, youth, and young children in 6 selected districts of Northern Ghana. It will be achieved through a multi-sectoral nutrition-sensitive value chain development approach.
On-Air for Gender-Inclusive Nature-based Climate Solutions – $10.9 million – Farm Radio International
This project uses FRI’s innovative approaches to designing, producing and airing gender-responsive interactive radio programs. The project will: bring to the forefront the voices, wisdom and expressed needs of rural women, men and youth in adapting to climate change; significantly expand access to information about nature-based solutions for climate adaptation across SSA; and enable rural communities to learn about, customize and apply nature-based solutions for adaptation.
Process Research Ortech (PRO) mining investment in Botswana –$129 million
Process Research Ortech (PRO) and Botswana Institute for Technology Research and Innovation (BITRI) will sign an MOU to bring partners together to make an investment estimated at $129 million in a copper and nickel mine in Botswana in order to extract and process the minerals for the development of batteries. This project will rely on the concept of smart villages, developed in partnership with the University of Botswana, PRO and BITRI, and will advance sustainable economic prosperity in rural areas in Botswana by integrating the smart villages approach to mining operations, complemented by other socio-economic activities. This investment will advance Canada’s global leadership on critical minerals by ensuring leading Canadian companies like PRO work with innovative research institutions like BITRI to develop and secure supply chains for the critical minerals needed to enable a transition to a low-carbon economy and support advanced technology and manufacturing.
Aero HygenX’s autonomous sanitization robots fleetwide deployment to Ethiopian Airlines Group
Ethiopian Airlines Group and Aero HygenX, inventors of Ray, an autonomous sanitization robot, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the fleetwide deployment of Aero HygenX’s autonomous UV-C light disinfecting robot. This innovation provides a cost-effective solution for removing COVID and other pathogens in a broader ranger of sectors, including airlines, educational and medical settings, athletics facilities, office spaces and hospitality industries. This project will improve passenger safety on Ethiopian Airlines by significantly reducing the number of pathogens, and significantly increasing the protection of flight crew and staff.
Aero HygenX’s autonomous sanitization robots deployment to Zambia Airways, Zambian Airports Corporation Limited, and Zambia Civil Aviation Authority
Aero HygenX announced an agreement with Zambia airways for the provision of autonomous sustainable disinfection solutions. Aero HygenX also announced its intention to sign a partnership agreement with the Zambian Airports Corporation Limited and the Zambia Civil Aviation Authority for the provision of Aero HygenX’s hygiene solutions for businesses in a broader range of sectors including airports, hotels and hospitals. This innovation provide a cost-effective solution for removing COVID and other pathogens in a broader ranger of sectors, including airlines, educational and medical settings, athletics facilities, office spaces and hospitality industries. These projects will create an end-to-end safe environment for passengers, visitors, staff from the aircraft, airports, to the hotels and hospitals throughout Zambia.
Canada-Rwanda Air Transport Agreement (ATA) – Government of Rwanda - Canada-Cameroon Air Transport Agreement (ATA) – Government of Cameroon
Canada announced the signing of Air Transport Agreements (ATAs) with Rwanda and Cameroon. These agreements will facilitate the development of Canada’s air transport market with both partners by Canadian carriers and, respectively, carriers of Rwanda and Cameroon. These ATAs will contribute to improve connectivity to new and existing destinations, which benefit passengers and businesses. Canada’s ATAs with Rwanda and Cameroon offer an open and flexible regime for code-share services. The signature of the ATA by Canada and Rwanda/Cameroon, followed by its ratification, will provide legal certainty and predictability for air carriers and further strengthen the bilateral air transport relationship with Rwanda and Cameroon. These ATAs were applied administratively pending signature and ratification.
Study abroad in Canada – Kenya with Northern Lights College; Thompson Rivers University; Medicine Hat College; SAIT
This project provides Kenyan students with scholarships to study in at the following Canadian institutions: Northern Lights College, Thompson Rivers University, Medicine Hat College, and SAIT - the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.
5Xperts sales of IT engineering software to Cameroon’s Digital Sarl – $11,000
5Xperts is an IT engineering company based in Montreal that has developed software solutions adapted and optimized to the specific needs of various industries requiring the weighing of bulk materials (ports, quarries). 5Xperts recently completed an initial sale of one of its software solutions in Cameroon, via Digital Sarli, its local partner. The cost of the transaction was CAD $11,000. This success is a result of a partnership established between 5Xperts and Digital Sarli, with follow-up by the High Commission of Canada in Cameroon.
De Havilland sale of Dash 8-400 aircraft to Camair-Co – $18 million
De Havilland is the Canadian manufacturer the Dash 8-400 (Series 8), the most advanced turboprop aircraft in the world. De Havilland has concluded a commercial transaction with Camair-Co, the national airline of Cameroon, for the supply of two used Dash Q400 aircraft. The contract (CAD $18 million) also includes the supply of spare parts and technical assistance based on a specified number of flight hours. This success is the result of efforts since 2020. The Canadian High Commission in Cameroon was fundamental in this deal, which had a strong political, problem-solving component for the Canadian client.
Hatch provision of electrical grid management services to Eneo Cameroon
Hatch is a multidisciplinary management, engineering and development consultancy. Hatch has been active in Cameroon for the past 10 years, mainly in the clean technology sector. Hatch signed a contract valued at CAN $800,000 with Eneo Cameroon, the main electricity distributor in Cameroon, to oversee the rehabilitation and renovation of the hydromechanical components of the Song Loulou hydroelectric power station.
Business success: Éclipse Énergies Renouvelables - Rural Electrification Agency of Cameroon (AER)
Éclipse Énergies Renouvelables, a Quebec company based in Saint-Constant, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Rural Electrification Agency of Cameroon (AER), to carry out several studies on the design, financing, construction, operation and maintenance of solar power plants in the commune of Yoko, Centre Region, and across Cameroon. This success follows the introduction of Éclipse Énergies Renouvelables to the AER. The company is also exploring the Ivorian market.
Enhancing sustainable management of disused sealed radioactive sources – Phase 1: $1.66 million/Phase 2: $3.9 million – International Atomic Energy Agency
This project is split into two phases. The IAEA is implementing work in 18 African states (as well as 16 states in other regions) to strengthen long-term management of disused sealed radioactive sources (DSRS), which are radioactive materials used for medical purposes that have outlived their operational usefulness but remain highly radioactive. Project activities include needs assessments, developing national inventories of nuclear material, developing nuclear security regulations, formulating nuclear security management strategies, training operators and regulators, engaging senior policymakers, and removal of 69 DSRS.
Nuclear regulatory infrastructure development program in Africa – phase 2 - $7.77 million – International Atomic Energy Agency
This project seeks to strengthen the regulatory infrastructure for nuclear security and radiation safety in 38 countries in Africa. Key activities include updating national inventories of radioactive material, developing national nuclear security and safety strategies, and engaging senior policymakers on sustaining nuclear security and safety regimes.
Regional training to strengthen implementation of UN Security Council Resolution sanctions on the DPRK – $312,524 –CRDF Global
CRDF Global will convene a two-day workshop in Djibouti for 30 central bank officials and private sector financial institution compliance officers in French-speaking countries in West Africa. Key activities include developing training materials, producing case studies on DPRK proliferation finance risks in the region, developing presentations on CPF-related provisions of UN Security Council Resolutions, information sharing with law enforcement and financial intelligence units, and proliferation risks of cryptocurrency exchanges and informal money transfer systems. CRDF Global will provide travel support for 20 participants to attend the training.
Universalization and Effective Implementation of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) in Africa – $3 million – Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention Implementation Support Unit (ISU), United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA)
This project, which has been developed by and in support of the Canada-conceived Signature Initiative to Mitigate Biological Threats in Africa, aims to enhance adherence to and implementation of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) in Africa through targeted support led by the BTWC Implementation Support Unit (ISU).
Sustainable Biosecurity and Biosafety in Africa – $5 million – African Society for Laboratory Medicine
This project aims to increase biosafety and biosecurity capacity in Africa and support the Signature Initiative to Mitigate Biological Threats in Africa, a Canada-conceived and led effort through the G7-led Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction. Through various capacity building activities, this project will support implementation of Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Biosafety and Biosecurity 5-year Strategic Plan and will address biosafety and biosecurity gaps identified by Africa Union Member States.