EVENT SUMMARY

The Canada Arab Business Council hosted its Annual Business Forum and Gala dinner at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa on April 24, 2018. The event was a tremendous success with a sold out audience and a panel of speakers that included Minister of International Trade François-Philippe Champagne; Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Navdeep Bains; Minister of International Development and La Francophonie Marie-Claude Bibeau; Jean Charest, former Premier of Québec and Co-Chair of the Canada UAE Business Council; Arab Ambassadors in Canada and business leaders from across Canada and the Arab World.

The theme of the event was sustainability through innovation with the objective of expanding and diversifying two-way trade and investment between Canada and Arab states with an emphasis on the health, energy, education, infrastructure and agriculture sectors.

This year we focused on nurturing commercial links for small and medium enterprises, along with women, youth and native owned businesses. For the first time, the CABC featured a panel dedicated to growing business opportunities for women. In a one on one conversation with Danièle Henkel, a well-known Quebec entrepreneur, Minister Bibeau emphasized the fundamental role of women entrepreneurs in the fight against poverty and inequality in developing countries. Ms. Henkel, in turn, launched her new digital platform which will serve to link and promote entrepreneurs on a global scale.

The CABC was honoured to welcome business leaders from Algeria, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates. A presentation on the 2020 World Expo to be held in Dubai featured a multitude of business opportunities arising from this event and the unique opportunity the event offers to brand Canada and Canadian business.

Click here for CABC Chair Mohammad Al Zaibak’s Opening Remarks
Click here for the full program and here for photos