Canadian investors invited to partner in the country’s industrial transformation
About 135 government officials, diplomats and business executives from Ghana and Canada gathered on June 15, 2026 at the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel’s Frontenac Ballroom in Toronto for the Ghana-Canada Investment Forum.
The forum was organised by the GHFA Global Investment Forum Initiative in collaboration with Strategic Communications Africa Limited and Kwakaf International, an investment promotion and events company based in Toronto.
Founder and CEO of Stratcomm Africa, Esther A. N. Cobbah, highlighted decades of Ghana-Canada cooperation, citing Petro-Canada’s technical support to the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation.
“Ghana is a stepping stone towards a wider engagement with the African continent,” she said, urging participants to view Ghana as an entry point into Africa’s market, workforce and natural resources.
She added that Canada, without colonial baggage on the continent, has a unique opportunity to build lasting partnerships across Anglophone and Francophone Africa.
The Forum was opened by Ambassador Sandra Bowen on behalf of AU6RG Secretary-General Dr. Onyekachi Macaulay O. Kalu, and remarks were delivered by Consul Manj Singh of Guyana to Canada.
Keynote speaker Ras Mubarak, representing Chief of Staff to the President Dr. Julius Debrah, focused on President Mahama’s 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme.
The strategy targets manufacturing, agro-processing, logistics, energy and tourism.
“Ghana is open for business like never before,” he said, inviting Canadian capital and expertise and noting Ghana’s access to the African Continental Free Trade Area market of over 1.5 billion people.
A panel moderated by Ivy Prosper, with MC Richmond Bonsu, discussed investment opportunities, supply chain reforms, diaspora mobilisation, and tourism.
Panelists included David Harley, Prof. Nii Odoi Yemoh, Saneca Grant Asare, and AI governance specialist Stacy Ann Berry.
Speakers stressed that beyond financing, growth requires financial discipline, credible partnerships, and AI literacy for Ghana’s youth under the National AI Strategy.
Organisers said follow-up engagements with Canadian investors and the Ghanaian diaspora are planned.
A Canada Royal Gala was also held in honour of His Royal Majesty King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II to raise funds for the Ga Mantse Foundation.
A Business Desk Report