THE STANDING SENATE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE
EVIDENCE
OTTAWA, Wednesday, November 27, 2024
The Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade met with videoconference this day at 4:16 p.m. [ET] to examine and report on Canada’s interests and engagement in Africa.
Senator Peter M. Boehm (Chair) in the chair.
The Chair: Good afternoon. My name is Peter Boehm. I am a senator from Ontario and the chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
Before we begin, I want to invite the committee members in attendance today to introduce themselves, starting on my left.
Senator Gerba: Welcome to the committee. Amina Gerba, Quebec.
Senator MacDonald: Michael MacDonald, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.
Senator Ravalia: Mohamed Ravalia, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Senator Harder: Peter Harder, Ontario.
Senator Boniface: Gwen Boniface, Ontario.
Senator M. Deacon: Welcome. Marty Deacon, Ontario.
Senator Coyle: Mary Coyle, Antigonish, Nova Scotia.
The Chair: Welcome, senators. I would also like to welcome everyone across the country who may be watching us today on ParlVu.
Today, we are continuing our study on Canada’s interests and engagement in Africa, and today we have the pleasure of welcoming, in the room with us, David J. Hornsby, Vice Provost and Associate Vice-President (Academic), Professor, Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University, of which I am an alumnus; Isaac Odoom, Assistant Professor, Carleton University; and by video conference from New York, from UNICEF, George Laryea-Adjei, who is the Director of UNICEF Programme Group.
Welcome to our committee, and thank you for taking the time to be with us today.
Before we hear your remarks and proceed to questions and answers, I would ask everyone present to please mute notifications on their devices. I would also like to note that Senator Krista Ross of New Brunswick has just joined us. We will now proceed.
We will hear the witnesses’ opening remarks of five minutes each, which will be followed by questions from the senators as well as your answers.
Mr. Laryea-Adjei, you have the floor.
George Laryea-Adjei, Director of UNICEF Programme Group, UNICEF: Thank you very much, and good afternoon, senators. It is my honour to address you today.
UNICEF has a strong commitment to Africa’s children, and we work every day to expand our impact. We do so with partners like the Government of Canada and others all over the continent. With a strong history of engagement, the United Nations Children’s Fund, or UNICEF, is active in nearly every African country and maintains a close partnership with the African Union and other continental institutions, including the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
Over the past 25 years, with the help of many partners, Africa has achieved remarkable progress. Child mortality, a key indicator that we use for child well-being, has fallen by a little over 50% in Africa. Access to clean drinking water has more than doubled, reaching over 575 million people. You will all recall the HIV virus spreading, and that infections among children under 15 have dropped by over 70%. UNICEF birth registration is a key indicator, as it shows a vehicle to citizenship and access to essential services. Birth registration has risen all over the continent, granting millions of children access to schooling and formal care systems.
But we must face an undeniable reality: Africa’s demographic transformation is unlike anything the world has seen. Today, Africa is home to 689 million children under 18, a number that we project will rise to 930 million in 25 years. So, imagine close to a billion children in 25 years in Africa. This is going to make up a third of the global child population. We also project that, by the end of the current century, nearly half of the world’s children will live in Africa.
We have an opportunity, or a challenge — depending on how you see it — to ensure that Africa’s children can contribute to the development of not only the continent, but to the entire world, due to its sheer population size. Our main concern has to do with education. In UNICEF, our executive board in September, approved a strategy for Africa. We call it UNICEF’s strategy for its contribution to Africa’s development agendas. Africa, through the African Union, has put forward its own agenda with ambitious targets, as indicated in their Agenda 2063 and their Agenda for Children 2040.
The UNICEF Africa strategy focuses on three priorities: The first is accelerating human capital development; the second is enhancing resilience, humanitarian action and climate action; and the third is intensifying the implementation of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
The first, human capital development, is our topmost priority. Africa’s future depends on its children being healthy, educated and empowered. This begins with strong community health systems. For example, UNICEF is working with many African countries to train and deploy an additional 500,000 community health workers all over the continent in four years to ensure that we are able to save more lives and to ensure that more children are nourished and can thrive. But we know that tens of millions of children are out of school, and for those attending, far too many leave without the skills they need to succeed. We estimate that about 8 out of 10 children at age 10 are not able to read properly or write a simple essay in an adequate manner. Children must master basic literacy, numeracy and critical thinking skills to unlock their full potential. This is the starting point for building a skilled and capable workforce that can drive Africa’s economic growth.
Across Africa, about a third of young women end up getting married before age 18, cutting short their education and potential. We know that no country has achieved sustained development without empowering women and girls.
For this, I would like to acknowledge the part played by Canada in addressing the question of child marriage in Africa. UNICEF is committed to ensuring that every girl has the opportunity to learn, thrive and lead. We have the single objective of ensuring that every girl in Africa completes at least high school. We know that when girls succeed, communities thrive.
Nutrition is another cornerstone of human capital development, and we know that, in Africa, stunting continues to be a problem. The height of a child according to his age continues to be a problem, affecting nearly a third of all children. That is why UNICEF is launching the First Foods Initiative, working with governments and local producers of food to ensure that children have access to affordable, safe diets and to ensure that their foundation to grow, learn and succeed is established well.
Mr. Chair, I would like to turn to the question of the climate crisis in Africa. Africa’s children are on the front lines of climate change. I had the opportunity to visit many communities in Africa this year where schooling has been disrupted. We estimate that some 25 million children are facing either displacement or disruption to their lives, including schooling, due to floods, droughts and other climate impacts. This is happening on a regular basis in many countries across the continent. UNICEF works to build climate-resilient systems starting with schools that can withstand disasters and serve as safe havens during a crisis.
The Chair: Mr. Laryea-Adjei, I’m sorry to interrupt you, but you have gone significantly over the five minutes. My apologies for that. I think we will probably catch some of the remaining items of your remarks in the question period. I have to go to the other witnesses now, and I thank you for your understanding. Professor Hornsby, please.
David J. Hornsby, Vice Provost and Associate Vice-President (Academic), Professor, Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University, as an individual: Good afternoon, senators. Thank you for the invitation to appear before you today on the examination of Canada’s interests and engagement with African states.
I have been a keen observer of this committee’s proceedings and am honoured to be included among those who can contribute to helping inform this committee’s good work.
Mr. Chair, Canada has fallen behind in building a robust relationship with African states and institutions. I reckon that we are lagging by at least two decades. Any further delay risks resigning Canada to a marginal role on the continent and allowing others to cement positions of influence.
This is a critical time for Africa’s political, economic and security transformation, and I hope this study will help Canada leverage its past achievements, reclaim its reputation as a genuine partner and establish innovative, focused engagements that benefit both sides.
I believe that any strategy must be built on principles of mutual respect, reciprocity and acknowledgment of Africa’s role as a key player at national, regional and sub-regional levels.
Given Africa’s growing geopolitical and economic importance, the strategy should be resilient, adaptable, sustainable and supported across political lines to ensure its longevity.
For too long, Canada’s policy thinking with regard to African states has been dominated by development mindsets. While this is a factor, what is needed now more than ever is a more nuanced policy framework that acknowledges the sophisticated and diverse nature of African capacities, capabilities and rapidly changing demographics.
To do this means that we need expertise within our policy-making spaces that can bridge the relationships between development, foreign policy, trade and migration.
Allow me to put on the table a few ideas that I think could help us reinvigorate an engagement with African states. The first would be to expand our diplomatic presence. Strengthening diplomatic relationships by increasing an on-the-ground presence would be a positive step. We are making good moves on that score with respect to the African Union, or AU, mission and other diplomatic missions that have recently been opened, but have we set it up for success?
At present, the AU mission has three people assigned to manage a huge multilateral institution with many priorities. Our mission in Burkina Faso is larger than our AU mission. Also, we have fewer than 20 fully accredited missions on a continent of 54 countries.
The second recommendation I would proffer is to promote integrated and holistic partnership models that recognize the integrated nature of the political, economic, security and developmental interests across the continent. This requires developing strategies with African nations and regions as opposed to developing them for them. Approaches should emphasize mutual benefits and regional priorities like those embedded in AU strategic plans and initiatives like the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement.
A third area that I would suggest would benefit Canada in African relations is to strengthen science, technology, innovation and educational ecosystems. To grow our relations through science, tech, innovation and educational partnerships, we have to recognize that we have much to learn from African experiences, and to grow this area not only invests in cutting-edge research and knowledge but will have spillover impacts in areas of common challenge, like virology, immunology and climate change, just to name a few. I believe there is a healthy foundation from which to grow in this space.
A fourth recommendation that deserves consideration in this study is that of the visas and the immigration systems that we are imposing. Any strategy needs to acknowledge that our current immigration and visa system harms our reputation and engagements on the continent. People coming to study or engage in academic conferences, or even as government officials to engage in training experiences, experience intrusive and lengthy visa application processes that ultimately mean that we miss out on learning from their expertise and understanding. It also potentially harms their view of our country. This is in significant need of reform, and it should be done with courage and haste.
The final recommendation that I would like to put on the table for the consideration of this committee is to ensure that Canadian capacity and knowledge of Africa are enhanced. We need greater expertise within Global Affairs and across government of and on Africa and its myriad cultures and societies. We need more people who understand the continent in sophisticated and nuanced ways whilst offering policy advice.
Africa’s growing economic and geopolitical significance underscores the urgency of these actions. In 2023 alone, Canada’s trade in African mining areas reached $37 billion. In merchandise, it was $16.2 billion.
Despite challenges such as hybrid threats and widespread insecurity, Africa is projected to have the fastest-growing regional economy this year. It holds 30% of critical minerals and will host 25% of the global population by 2050.
Africa also represents one of the largest voting blocs in the United Nations, making it a critical partner in addressing global challenges.
Moving forward, Canada would benefit from a focus on consistent, long-term partnerships, even if those are modest, to build trust and credibility. Reinvesting in arm’s-length developmental policy organizations and engaging with the African diaspora in Canada are also crucial steps.
By fostering a multidimensional, resilient set of relationships, Canada can better navigate the opportunities and challenges of its partnerships with the continent. Thank you.
The Chair: Thank you very much, Professor Hornsby. Professor Odoom, please.
Isaac Odoom, Assistant Professor, Carleton University, as an individual: Thank you, chair and members of the committee, for the opportunity to be part of this discussion.
My research focuses on Africa’s political economy, Africa-China relations and Canada’s role in global development.
Today, I would like to share some observations on how Canada can strengthen its partnerships with Africa in a changing world. I would like to start with a simple yet striking fact that some of you may be familiar with: By 2050, one in four people on this planet will be on the African continent. This demographic shift highlights Africa’s growing economic and geopolitical significance. Yet Canada’s engagement with the continent doesn’t reflect the scale of this opportunity. Canada has no African strategy yet.
Just two months ago, at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing, China pledged over $50 billion in loans, investments and aid to African nations over the next three years. China also upgraded its diplomatic ties with several African nations. Around the same time, Canada held consultations to reshape its approach to Africa. These two events highlight an important fact: Africa is becoming a global economic and political player, and Canada risks being left behind.
China is the continent’s largest trading partner, building roads, bridges and energy projects that are transforming African economies. But this comes with severe challenges. Many Africans are concerned about debt dependency, environmental impacts and transparency in these deals.
At the same time, China frames its partnerships as mutual and respectful, a message that resonates with many Africans who feel that Western nations, including Canada, often come across as paternalistic.
Canada has an opportunity to stand out by offering something different. Canada doesn’t need to compete directly with China. Instead, Canada can build partnerships based on trust, shared goals and Canada’s unique strengths. The Canadian brand is strong in Africa, but it is underutilized.
I would like to share four priorities for a stronger approach for Canada. The first one is to put people first. Canada’s visa system makes it unnecessarily difficult for African businesspeople, professionals and scholars to connect with Africa. Fixing this means investing in more Canadian diplomatic presence on the ground. It is a vital step to show that Canada is serious about building stronger relationships. Canada should also tap into the African diaspora here in Canada. This community is a bridge between Canada and Africa, and their voices and expertise should guide policy-making.
The second recommendation I would like to offer is to tell a better story about Africa. Too often, Canada’s engagement with Africa focuses on aid, humanitarian crises or security issues. But African nations want what we all want — jobs, reliable energy, infrastructure and accountable government. Canada needs to stop framing Africa mainly as a continent of problems and instead recognize it as a region full of potential and agency.
The third recommendation I would like to offer is to invest in knowledge. Canada, unlike other G7 countries, seems to lack an understanding of its historical and contemporary relationship with Africa. This lack of institutional memory and research capacity hampers strategic engagement. Partnerships with universities and permanent funding of think tanks and NGOs to build expertise on Africa is critical to help make informed decisions.
The fourth recommendation I would like to suggest is for Canada to play to its strengths. Canada has unique advantages, like expertise in renewable energy, infrastructure, education, innovation and technology. By focusing on these areas, Canada can offer African nations partnerships that create jobs and drive sustainable growth, which complement rather than compete with China, which seems to focus a lot more on infrastructure development.
In my work as a researcher, African nations are no longer just recipients of foreign aid. Most of them are assertive partners that are forming new alliances. Canada’s consultations on its Africa strategy is obviously a first step, but Canada must follow through with urgency and ambition. Africa is already looking to new partners like China. If Canada wants to remain relevant, it must present itself as a partner that listens, respects African priorities and delivers real benefit. This is not just an opportunity; it is essential for Canada’s future role in the world.
Thank you. I look forward to your questions.
The Chair: Thank you very much, Professor Odoom.
[Translation]
We will now proceed to questions and answers. I wish to inform members that you will each have a maximum of four minutes for the first round. This includes questions and answers.
[English]
Senator MacDonald: Thank you, gentlemen, for your testimony here today. I’ll pose my first question to Mr. Hornsby.
Recently, Edward Akuffo, Head of the Department of Political Science at the University of Fraser Valley, testified before this committee. During his appearance, he recommended that Canada:
. . . increase the number of its embassies in African states and establish permanent missions in each of the eight regional economic communities to give effectiveness and visibility to its engagement on the continent.
I wonder if you could comment on that recommendation and what you think of its validity.
Mr. Hornsby: Thank you very much, senator, for the question. I had a chance to observe Professor Akuffo’s comments and testimony here at this committee. I agree with him on the idea of increasing the amount of representation.
I think it’s important to recognize that while Canada has maintained a strong presence on the continent, it’s viewed as in retreat. This is in large part due to closing down a number of our fully accredited diplomatic missions. I’m sure our friends at Global Affairs Canada will be keen to nuance my position and that of Professor Akuffo’s in so far as saying, “We might have closed the embassies, but we have created all sorts of trade commissioner offices.”
The problem is that those trade commissioner offices aren’t there to do diplomacy. They aren’t there to do the full political levels of engagement and to find relationships across and between governments. They’re there to promote trade and investment. I think that sends a very different message to our African partners about Canada’s interest and desire to connect.
I would agree with the Professor Akuffo’s position that we need to increase the number of diplomatic missions and return at least to some level that recognizes the political importance of African states.
That said, I recognize that we are also in a significantly financially constrained environment. Canada, as a country of 42 million people, can’t be everywhere and everything to everyone. We have to think creatively about how we advance that type of representation.
I was living in South Africa when Minister Baird announced joining up with U.K. missions as part of a way that Canada can maintain a presence. I thought something like that was very creative and a way to ensure representation.
There are all sorts of ways to think about it in a digital environment as well, but I ultimately agree with the premise.
Senator MacDonald: Mr. Odoom, considering China’s role as Africa’s largest trading partner today and its increasing diplomatic and military presence, including participation in UN peacekeeping missions and the establishment of a military base in Djibouti in 2017, how do you evaluate the impact of China’s military involvement on the stability and security of the region?
Furthermore, how should international stakeholders, such as Canada, respond to or engage with China’s growing influence in Africa’s security affairs?
Mr. Odoom: Thank you, senator, for that question. I think it’s a question that speaks to some of the broader issues that Canada, as a middle power, is confronted with regarding Africa’s engagement with other actors, including China.
There are two components to China’s involvement militarily. There are aspects of China’s involvement that are actually part of its responsibility as a member of the United Nations. That part is there. But there is also the other part of it that relates to China’s own definition of its strategic interest on the continent. That’s why we see the military bases that China has in Djibouti, just like the U.S. and other countries.
When we look at Canada’s role vis-à-vis China in this context, my view, based on my research and what other researchers talk about is the fact that Canada doesn’t have to think of competing with China. I think there are many aspects of China’s engagement that a lot of African citizens and African leaders are not happy about, but there are ways in which China’s security engagement and development engagement seem to align with African priorities. That, to me, is the critical part that Canada ought to pay a little bit more attention to, because it’s not so much about China as an entity but rather in terms of what China is offering as far as a lot of African policy-makers are concerned.
Senator Ravalia: Thank you to all three witnesses for being here this afternoon. My first question is for Professor Odoom.
During his testimony before this committee, His Excellency Bankole Adeoye said, Canada “. . . has very good, very expansive goodwill on the African continent . . . .” In particular, he mentioned that the countries in Africa have very strong people-to-people ties, which he argued should be better tapped into.
Could you outline for us the engagement of the Canadian diaspora on the continent and the African diaspora in Canada? What contributions could they make to enhancing our ties?
Mr. Odoom: Thank you, senator. That’s a very good question. In my opening statement, I made reference to the fact that Canada has an advantage that a lot of other countries, including the G7, do not, which is a very active presence of the African diaspora, and this cuts across different professions. If you just think about the African diaspora in the Canadian academic community alone, that’s a huge asset.
A lot of the African diaspora in Canada is a critical asset for Canada’s engagement because they help to build strength with our African counterparts. A lot of the Canadian diaspora are also the connection that we can have in terms of Canada’s strategy on trade and investment, because a lot of us, including myself, came here as international students years ago. Through some of my work as a professor but also as someone who encourages students to pursue academic excellence, I know a lot of people have come from the continent to Canada, and they have been critical contributors to the Canadian economy, not just in terms of their professions but also in terms of the community they are able to build here.
I believe that this asset is something that is probably very unique to Canada. The more we tap into and in some sense empower the African diaspora in Canada, the more we’re able to benefit from the dividends they are able to offer us, because they cut across different professions.
Senator Ravalia: If I could follow up with Professor Laryea-Adjei, could you please outline for me your current strategy vis-à-vis vaccine administration across the continent and the particular vulnerability of children in conflict regions missing vaccines?
Mr. Laryea-Adjei: Thank you, senator, for the question. UNICEF currently procures about 60% of all the vaccines required in Africa. We do so by working with manufacturers across the world to ensure that all standards are met and to bring down the prices. In addition, we combine that with the provision of essential equipment like cold chain equipment and training of health workers.
Currently, there are about 8 million children in Africa whom we classify as zero-dose children, meaning they have not received a single vaccine. These children represent a group that also does not receive access to other health services. We have an objective to ensure all of them do so in the next five years. Partners like Canada, which has been very active with us on various vaccine initiatives, including on the global vaccine alliance, are critical to ensuring we achieve these objectives.
Public health emergencies continue to arise. We are dealing with monkeypox, for example. We need to expand our surveillance as well as our vaccine management approaches.
Thank you very much.
Senator Ravalia: Thank you.
[Translation]
Senator Gerba: The Canadian government has been taking various actions for some time to come to the redefinition of its partnership strategy with the African continent.
One of the highlights of these actions was the high-level dialogue between Canada and the African Union held in Toronto on November 7. This dialogue put the diaspora at the heart of the discussions, and a number of declarations followed.
Therefore, knowing the importance of the African diaspora and knowing the diversity of African diasporas in Canada, how should Canada capitalize on this asset that is the diaspora, in your opinion?
Mr. Odoom, you talked about the diaspora as an asset. How should Canada use this asset to build the necessary bridges with Africa?
[English]
Mr. Hornsby: Thank you very much, senator. You make a great point about the possibility of diaspora. Certainly, the high-level summit that has been undertaken with the African Union is a really positive sign. It’s a very important signal about Canada’s intention and desire to maintain strong relations.
I think there will be myriad ways that Canada can engage on a governmental level with diaspora groups. It will have to maintain a very nuanced approach, because not every diaspora group is going to hold similar positions or face similar types of conditions in terms of how they relate back to their home country.
But I think we can look at different platforms through which to do that. The most natural platform is through the education links and the science and technology opportunities. We want to create opportunities that are not apolitical per se, but which aren’t as subject to political cycles that go up and down. Science, technology, innovation and the educational ecosystem pieces of this could be really profound ways to engage diasporas in constructive manners. That includes everything from the study permit dimension, creating educational exchanges, fostering links between scientific and research entities between Canada and different countries on the African continent — even down to science-based regulatory environments like food safety and similar spaces. Those are opportunities to engage the diaspora links in those sorts of ways.
There’s the other natural piece, too, which would be through the opportunity for trade and investment, and thinking of diaspora groups as creating opportunities for business ventures back in their country of origin and how Canada might play a role in that in creating fora through chambers of commerce, et cetera.
Those would be ways and means to engage effectively with diaspora groups. Mr. Odoom may have other thoughts.
Mr. Odoom: As I mentioned, it’s really an asset for Canada to be able to build trust with the African diaspora here.
Senator, you are right about the diversity. Two months ago, I was part of the Africa study group that held an event in Ottawa here, and you could observe the diversity of views on these issues.
One of the things that I have learned over the years is that a lot of the African diaspora here in Canada are looking for not just opportunities but to see something that goes beyond symbolic acknowledgment of their presence — something similar to what, for example, I am doing here today. I think that’s really a recognition of the role that the African diaspora in Canada can play.
I also want to mention that, because we have all this diversity, we have those — like me — who are more interested in issues like academic partnerships between Canadian and African universities. I know that is something that Professor Hornsby is already doing. That’s a beautiful initiative that sometimes comes from the African diaspora, and once you get the institution to buy in, then it’s good to go.
Then there are, of course, those who are more interested in trade and business.
This is a very diverse group of people who really speak to the strength of Canada’s impact, even beyond the African continent. I think signs of this in terms of the Senate’s interest in bringing some of our thoughts on board is really something that is admirable to the community.
Senator M. Deacon: Thank you to our witnesses for being here today. I appreciate it.
I’m going to start off with a question for UNICEF. I saw your concerning report last month that found that, by and large, African governments overwhelmingly allocate social spending funding toward older children while overlooking the youngest, with only 6% of key social spending being spent on children 0 to 5 years old. I’d like to understand why this discrepancy exists, especially when compared to other regions internationally.
Mr. Laryea-Adjei: Thank you for the question.
Most African countries spend about a fifth of their budgets on education, and for some, this is skewed in favour of high school education and not the early years. I think it’s a hard choice that these countries had to make as they build their human capital to push economic growth.
Overall, the level of spending is not adequate to achieve their economic growth objectives. This is a further unfortunate trade-off of prioritizing where they think the value addition is highest, mainly high school and tertiary. I don’t think this trade-off is one that should be encouraged by a country like Canada.
I think Canada, aligning with UNICEF and other international organizations, should advocate for and invest in higher levels of spending on education overall, prioritizing the foundation stages because the return on investment is highest there, but also trying to help African countries with partnership models that help them adequately fund high school and tertiary education.
I am trying to avoid a situation where it becomes an either/or — either you invest in high school, tertiary or foundational learning. I think development aid should help with foundational learning and girls’ education, but opportunities might be found for public-private partnerships for high school and tertiary education. Hopefully, the level of education would go up. Again, education remains the topmost challenge for Africa from a human capital perspective. I would encourage you, as you look at Canada’s foreign policy, to pay close attention to this.
Senator Coyle: Thank you to all three witnesses today.
It is always sobering to hear, though we have heard it before, that Canada is lagging. There is a gap. I think you said two decades. That’s a big gap. We’re missing the boat on some opportunities. We need to move. We can’t do it the old way. We can’t look at Africa as a bundle of problems to be fixed by somebody from the outside. Actually, there is a lot of opportunity there for us for engagement on many levels. I really appreciate the context within which you have framed your remarks.
Professor Hornsby, you talked about the need to bridge development, foreign policy, trade and immigration. Can you speak more to what you mean by that?
Mr. Hornsby: Certainly. Thank you, senator.
That was very much a comment focused internally to Canada. Namely, when we look at Global Affairs Canada now, we have seen the merger. The merger — how long has it been, 10 or 12 years? You were there at the time, weren’t you, Senator Harder? No? Okay, you missed that one. You were there, Senator Boehm, right? The merger has been 10 years in the making, yet we still see a very siloed policy environment.
Immigration, I dare say, is over here in some land I don’t quite understand. I mean that glibly in part because I feel our immigration policy and approaches are very much disconnected from our foreign policy interests. I think there has to be a closer coming together on that score.
That said, on foreign policy, trade and the developmental side of it, absolutely. Within our own department, I think we have to be more explicit about breaking down policy silos and getting more integrated in our approaches, wrapping that into our engagements with African states and the African Union and finding ways to speak about grand challenges. Maybe we focus on grand challenges we both face and come to common agreements on that front.
That’s where I was coming from with that comment.
Senator Coyle: That’s helpful.
I am interested in the kinds of partnerships that have been mentioned by both of you gentlemen here, with universities and think tanks around science and education and civil society. Could either of you speak about those?
Mr. Odoom: I can speak briefly on partnership with civil society. That’s a very good question, senator. Part of the problem we see when it comes to governance is a lot of African countries who are really doing well on governance by any measure have very strong opposition in civil society groups.
That is one area where Canada has the advantage of supporting many of these institutions to not only build capacity but to be able to bring the kind of accountability that not just African citizens themselves are looking for, but even some of these responsibilities are accountability measures that meet some global expectations. That’s a very important one.
I believe someone talked about the high-level summit held recently in Toronto. That is an important one, but going forward, we may also want to look into some of these other engagements that target African civil society leadership.
Young people are really at the forefront of the next phase of Africa’s renaissance.
Senator Ross: Thank you, all three of you, for your informative and interesting testimony today.
Dr. Hornsby and Mr. Odoom, both of you made a list. I like lists. One was a list of five things. One was a list of four things you believe Canada should do to have a better and more modern relationship with Africa. Could you identify one, if you could pick, that should be the first thing we should be working on? What is our focus and why is that? What role do you think the Senate could play in it?
Mr. Hornsby: That’s a good question, senator. Thank you.
As an academic, I hate to say one thing over the other. All of them are deeply important. If I had to choose one, it is best to grow from a place of establishment already, then to use that moment to then allow for spillover.
The functional theory of spillover, which we use in international relations to explain the European Union model, could come to bear with respect to how our relationship with Africa exists.
I would argue perhaps strengthening science, technology, innovation and educational ecosystems would be a smart place to be.
If I can respond to Senator Coyle’s question while I am responding to yours, senator, we have strong links already on the science and technology side of things.
We have the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences that we are a part of that is across the continent that the Perimeter Institute was deeply involved in.
We have the Square Kilometre Array project that Canada now has acceded to that is based in South Africa and deals with the astronomical sciences.
Last week, we had the South African delegation from the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation here to handle a joint consultation with ISED, looking at ways and means to grow partnerships.
I have been working closely on the South Africa-Canada Universities Network, which is an attempt to grow collaboration around grand challenge questions and basic research to take advantage of the levels of expertise that exist in both countries.
These are the sorts of spaces we could grow from and step up on. The Senate can play a role in terms of this study advocating for those types of linkages. Those types of linkages are important in part because they are immune to the political cycle.
It doesn’t matter what type of government you have in either place; there usually is a common agreement that science, technology, innovation and education are good areas to work together on.
Senator Ross: I would like to hear from you as well, Mr. Odoom.
Mr. Odoom: My view is the reason why Canada has limited engagement, presence, or at least not as much as we would want, is because of two things: First, Canada focuses on other regions, which is fair; the other one is, increasingly, there is a limited understanding of the changing dynamics in Africa. That is very important because, if I were to offer one thing out of all of what I have there, it is that we need to have an understanding of African agency and African priorities.
In many of my interviews with both African policy-makers and ordinary people, a lot of the feedback you receive — because I study China, and it is not so much about Chinese investors or Chinese actors as benevolent actors, but it is the priorities that they are focusing on that seem to align with their priorities as well. Listening to or having an understanding of African priorities is probably a good way to go. I think we are going in the right direction with these kinds of consultations. I believe this is the most important step. The last one is that we want to be able to match these ambitions with practical steps that can be sustained; otherwise, it would not be what we want.
Senator Harder: Professor Hornsby, you said we were two decades behind. I would say that in those two decades, three significant things have shifted in Africa. One is demographics, and I cannot emphasize enough the intervention from UNICEF on reminding us of those demographics. The second is that Africa itself is taking control of Africa, in the sense of the development of regional and pan-African institutions. The third is geopolitics.
Given those three impetuses, it seems to me that some of the old solutions don’t work as well either. We have to be in more missions. I understand that, because we probably cut back too much, but being in more missions won’t solve or make us more strategic either. I would like you to comment, both of you, from a professors’ point of view, about how we strengthen our capacity to deal with the regional institutions that Africa itself is building? Second, is there a country of equal or relative size to us that is getting it right? Don’t say the EU, because they have the advantage of being in an institution. I don’t even know who I mean by that, but it seems to me that we cannot say we can be a better China or a better United States. We must be a better Canada. Can you comment on those ideas?
Mr. Hornsby: Thanks, senator. You are right. I like the framing of the three major changes: the demographics, African agency and the geopolitical shifts.
To your first question about the regionalisms and how we connect, first, must find some formal manner to have some accredited presence within the regional economic communities. They call them regional economic communities on the continent, but, in actual fact, they are far broader than that; they have political agendas and reach into social dimensions, et cetera.
If we can create a similar type of representation to what we’re doing at the African Union within the regional economic communities, that would be a nice way, as a middle power — as a country of middle capacity — to make sure we’re present and engaged without having to set up 40 or 45 new missions, because those are very expensive.
Is there a country that is getting it right? I’m struck by how Japan is connecting. Japan is a bit larger than we are. They are still a G7. I think that’s part of the reason why they are getting it right.
Senator Harder: They are not getting migration right.
Mr. Hornsby: They are not getting migration right. That’s right, but the manner in which they are connecting with African governments is one of equal partnership. I think they have learned a lot from the Chinese model, which was to go in and say, “What do you need? How can we facilitate that?” I think that would be an example. The other example would be the Australians. The Australians are investing quite a bit in the science and technology side of things and encouraging transboundary movements for educational institutions. Australians are going into African universities, and vice versa, and sharing science advice and science information in ways that are robust.
Mr. Odoom: Thank you. That’s a very good question. Canada has to be able to do what it can within the framework of its own strength. You are right about the three issues that you raised: demographics, the African agency and geopolitics. But when it comes to original institutions and Canada’s partnership or engagement, one of the things we can talk about is how Canadian businesses and Canada can take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area, which is now up and running. There are several components of that which Canada may find useful in terms of increasing trade relationships between Canada and specific African countries.
Canada shouldn’t try to compete with China, like I said, or other big powers that are investing, but Canada can do something that is very unique. For example, we can talk about Chinese infrastructure investment in billions of dollars, but what is also interesting to note is that 80% of planned infrastructure projects across the continent do not go past the feasibility stage. That’s because there is always the problem of project management, and that is an area in which Canada has strength. Canada has companies that have expertise in that area that can take advantage of this.
If you look at it within the context of the G7, I believe one role that Canada can play, especially with the Canada presidency at the G7 in 2025 — I know you said not the European Union, but I want to mention this because there is a component of this that Canada can do, which is the G7 led by the United States, the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, or PGII, which is like a counter to the Belt and Road Initiative, or BRI. The way it is deployed on the continent, especially with the Lobito Corridor through Angola to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or DRC, to Zambia, there are a lot of offshoots that Canadian businesses and companies can take advantage of.
The Chair: I am sorry, you are over time on this segment, but what you are saying is very interesting, Professor Odoom. In fact, I am going to pick it up by asking a question, but I want to first direct the question to Mr. Laryea-Adjei in New York, because I have an institutional question. Then I’ll come back to what Senator Harder was asking you.
My institutional question is this: UNICEF is, of course, always beholden to and at the mercy of the donor community. We have had the impact of the pandemic, and that has changed policy to some degree, and certainly there is some new thinking going on in the development assistance committee at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD, where donor countries get together and discuss policy shifts. Is that a concern that UNICEF has? What is your biggest concern about your funding base? You are the director of programming.
Mr. Laryea-Adjei: Thank you very much. That is a critical question. I would agree with you that the pandemic has caused a big shift in Africa in terms of how they see their own development. That has created huge opportunities for UNICEF as well as for other partners in how we engage the continent.
The main lesson from the pandemic from the perspective of African leaders is that the world did not allocate enough vaccines when Africa needed them most, and that has become a foreign policy issue for many African governments: to invest in local production of the essentials of life. Vaccines are just an example, but it ranges from pharmaceuticals and mechanics for the provision of water, including construction materials and so on.
This presents huge opportunities for Canada to realign its policy toward Africa. There was a question about which governments are more active in this space in terms of new geopolitics. I’m not going to mention names, but I know for a fact that some governments are supporting African countries in producing their own vaccines as we speak. Africa needs governments to also help it develop its school system in a bilateral way, not through multilateral partnership. Will Canada be the partner of choice to help Africa invest and reimagine a different education system? Yes, the funding landscape is challenged, but what Africa needs most are partners who are still committed to the African agenda, including education, health and nutrition.
The Chair: Thank you very much. I have a little bit of time left for myself here, so I want to go back to where Senator Harder and Professor Odoom were going and augment that a little bit.
One of the things that I used to work on in a previous life was exploring how the rather well-endowed Canadian pension funds might get involved in partnerships, particularly in terms of critical infrastructure, so it is not just a question of what China might be providing on that front. There was a lot of discussion, but we never really got going on that. I’m wondering if you have any thoughts on that, Professor Odoom.
Mr. Odoom: Yes. Thank you, chair, for that question. One of the ways in which a lot of countries have tried to get attention across Africa is the innovative approach by which you try to finance development. Some of them may go well, and others may not go very well, but a lot of what we see come up in my research and in other people’s research is that the global community, including Canada, can have innovative ways of financing development on the continent. I believe you were referring to pension funds. That has its challenges, because one of the things that we face right now in Africa and elsewhere is that a lot of countries — at least three countries on the continent — are defaulting on their loans from financial institutions and on the Eurobond. The problem is that you can’t talk about debt forgiveness in those contexts because these kinds of financial arrangements are not easily amenable to debt forgiveness —
The Chair: Thank you. I will have to interrupt you and also myself because we are over time. We’ll go to the second round now, colleagues, starting with Senator MacDonald.
Senator MacDonald: Thank you. The chair sort of touched upon what I was going to ask. I guess great minds think alike; I would like to think that.
You mentioned, Professor Odoom, that China is better aligned with African priorities than Canada is, but that’s a very general statement. I would like something more specific, if you could provide that. China is spending a lot of money, but I don’t think it is out of the goodness of their heart. They are spending a lot of money to build infrastructure so they can expand their influence and their leverage. What could we do to align ourselves better with African priorities as you explained them?
Mr. Odoom: Thank you, senator. Certainly, what we are doing today and what you have been doing over the last several months is moving in the right direction. Hearing from different stakeholders on how to get it right this time around on the continent is really moving in the right direction.
A lot of African countries face infrastructure deficits, from electricity to transportation to telecommunication to energy. That seems to be an area that, over the years, the Chinese have sought to invest in and, in some cases, exploit. It is not so much about Canada not prioritizing African needs. The point is that having this discussion means there it is something we can at least do better in that sense.
My view is that a lot of the narrative or rhetoric that other countries use, including China, in terms of the engagement on the continent resonates with a lot of African leaders. That is one of the areas that I was referring to in my opening remarks — to see the continent as having opportunities. I believe the business, trade and investment opportunities are enormous on the continent. That is what part of what China’s engagement has done, and I believe Canada has its strength as well in that area, prioritizing, for example, energy.
If we have time, I can go into some of the strengths, especially when it comes to engineering companies that may not be able to do kind of big infrastructure across the continent but which are able to play because of Canada’s proficiency in public-private partnership and collaborations. I think there is a lot of talk about China, but I believe that there is a lot of partnership with China as well on the continent that maybe Canada can explore, because, on governance, Africans are not looking up to China. They are looking up to others, including us.
Senator MacDonald: Thank you.
Mr. Hornsby: If I could just jump in — going back to Senator Harder’s point about what our capacities are and what we can do, given where we sit in terms of our position as a “middle power.” We can look to African vessels for engagement and investment as a means of helping and being a part of a positive development story.
If you look at the African Development Bank, for example, historically, Canada played a very big role in that organization. However, over recent years it has consistently stepped back in terms of the amount of money it puts in. That is somewhere that we could easily turn around tomorrow, and doing so would put Canada in a far different position. We would be seen, I think, almost immediately to be contributing to infrastructure development on the continent in a way that is reflective of African needs and desires.
I think those are going to be the kinds of ways that we can contribute to counterbalancing the influence of China. If we try to go head-to-head with China, they are a behemoth, and we aren’t going to be able to do it.
The Chair: Thank you for mentioning the multilateral development banks, which are an important aspect of this.
[Translation]
Senator Gerba: I’d like to hear more from you about the educational partnerships you have with African universities. We’ve heard from witnesses that this is a way forward because, as you said, Canada and Canadian universities have expertise in many areas, and you’re in contact with many universities in Africa.
I wanted to draw a link to the diaspora again, because on my travels in Africa as co-chair of the Canada-Africa Parliamentary Association, or CAAF, I often hear from African leaders and parliamentarians that Canada is taking their best brains, who are trained with their public funds.
As we’ve already heard on this committee, do you think it would be possible for Canada to help the African Union, as part of its Agenda 2063, to build its pan-African University with the support of all universities, as is already the case now?
[English]
Mr. Hornsby: Thank you, senator. That’s a really good point. If I could, I will come to the final bit of your question before I come to the first piece.
The question of brain drain and how we incentivize people to come to study in Canada but then return to their home of origin to contribute is one that has perplexed us for a long time and continues to.
Where I think we have an opportunity under a renewed set of partnerships and collaborations is through creating the links, offering the opportunity to come study with some of the best minds in the world, which exist in Canadian institutions, while maintaining the aspiration to go back to the country of origin and contribute. I think we can tie the opportunity for studying with the opportunity for continued investment back in the country of origin. That can be done through making grants available through our tri-council agencies. It could be done through the assistance of setting up similar types of entities back in their countries of origin, taking those folks who have come here to study and putting them in positions of influence and responsibility in those types of systems.
I’ve been involved in setting up the South Africa-Canada Universities Network, in part because I spent close to 10 years in a South African university as an academic. In my experience there, in a system of 26 universities, I saw a huge amount of capacity and innovative research that I thought would be great to create links with Canadian institutions.
It’s not a zero-sum game. I focused on South Africa because of the connections I have there, but there are many fantastic universities across the continent. The rankings for the sub-Saharan African universities for the Times Higher Education was released yesterday, and in it you have the University of Ghana and the University of Rwanda. Makerere University as a traditional site of excellence. There are a number of different institutions that are emerging.
I think if we can create relationships and science-agency-to-science-agency types of dynamics and link them to research, innovation and development, those will be ways that we can take advantage of the opportunity to have people come here and then encourage the return to countries of origin.
Senator Ravalia: Professor Odoom, if I could come back to you on the China question, recognizing that the Belt and Road Initiative has been very attractive to Africa — highways, bridges, ports, airports — a phrase that has been coined as this pathway progresses has been the concept of “debt-trap diplomacy.” Increasingly, as I talk to my own connections, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, the concern is that China is now also bringing Chinese labourers into many of these areas and that the divisions that are being sewn by these mini-colonies of a sort of neocolonialist approach is resulting in labour difficulties for the local diaspora and increased tension between the African and Chinese communities.
Are you able to comment on that and its impact?
Mr. Odoom: Yes. Thank you for that question. There’s a lot in there. I have studied labour relations between Chinese transnational businesses and their African workers. Increasingly, what we see is that the story is a little more complicated than just Chinese labour coming in. There are certainly different points where we have that.
The other dimension is the question of debt-trap diplomacy, which is to say that a lot of Africans are indebted to China, and that really has a huge impact in terms of debt sustainability. It is true that a lot of African countries are indebted to China, but if you look at it in terms of the overall picture, what is happening right now with different countries, whether it’s Ethiopia, Zambia or Ghana, a lot of these countries — of course, in terms of bilateral debt to China, it may be the highest, but if you look at the bigger picture, it is actually domestic debt and debt on international bond markets.
China definitely contributes to the problem. I think this is where Canada has a role to play, not in the same context but in the sense that, as we mentioned before, there is a lot of goodwill when it comes to Canada on the continent.
What I really want to say on this is that the question of Africans becoming indebted to China is a question where we can be critical of African partners, because some of the agreements they signed with China and others aren’t really that sustainable. I think we have to be able to give alternatives. African countries should be able to see alternatives beyond those that are giving them monies, funds and loans that can be complicated. That’s where Canada can have a role to play, maybe not in those large funds, but in strategic places.
Senator Ravalia: Thank you.
Senator Coyle: You spoke about Canada, Professor Odoom, playing to its advantage. My colleague Senator Boehm raised the issue of Canadian pension funds. We’ve talked about multilateral financial instruments.
I’m just back from COP 29, and before that I attended a meeting of Climate Parliament. Many of the parliamentarians present were from Africa. You’re right that the opportunities are enormous in renewable energy and other areas, but even though the cost of technology has come way down, for it to be viable, the cost of capital is still very high in many of the countries.
Is there something either of you could speak about in terms of how Canada could play a role in structuring finance to help unlock those opportunities for economic development, trade, et cetera, but also to help African countries meet their net-zero targets, which are critical for them and for everybody?
Mr. Hornsby: At a high level, senator, one of the ways that we could assist in the capital question would be to stop listening to the rating agencies, stop following their recommendations about risk, find different ways to assess risk and perhaps create some of our own vessels through which we can invest — or at least support investment in capacity development.
Senator Coyle: We could do some things to de-risk.
Mr. Hornsby: That’s right. We could de-risk. Coming back to Senator Ravalia’s point about the China piece, the reason why African countries are so indebted to China is because they’re providing capital investment loans at a more favourable rate than other spaces. That’s something we have to take very seriously and to think about.
Coming back to the point I tried to make earlier about the African Development Bank, finding African vessels through which to support can also be a contributing factor here.
Mr. Odoom: Thank you, senator. I can add something small to what Mr. Hornsby said there.
Across the continent, we are seeing the different models that other countries are using. We know that different countries, including China, are getting either state-owned enterprises or private businesses along with the development engagement and finance.
I think part of what a lot of our African partners are looking for goes beyond mere government interaction. Creating the atmosphere for Canadian businesses, especially those that are proficient in areas that are priorities on the African continent, is very critical. Having a common strategy that helps coordinate all these interests within Canada into the African continent is a step in the right direction.
I really sort of pull back a little bit when it comes to this idea that because China and other countries are getting this from Africa, maybe it’s time for Canada to also go get something. That’s really not what this is about. For example, renewable energy, technology and innovation are all part of what I’m studying now. I’m looking at how Africa is deploying technology, especially with AI and so on, in governance and traffic management. I see the actors behind it, and Canada is not there.
[Translation]
Senator Gerba: Thank you. That’s very generous. I’d like to ask you one last question about Canada, which is hosting the G7 this year. You know that the African Union has been admitted to the G20 and that African institutions would also like to have a permanent seat on the Security Council. Should Canada address this issue when the G7 meets?
[English]
Mr. Odoom: Thank you, senator. I believe your question is in reference to what Canada can do with its presidency at the G7 and whether Canada should bring to the table Africa’s interests in permanent residency. That’s a big one.
When I teach my African politics class and Canada comes up, I always make reference to the important role that African nations play, especially when it comes to international fora like the United Nations. If this issue is one that Africans have put on the table as a priority, then I think Canada should consider that.
Mr. Hornsby: Senator, we really have one of two options here: We either reform the Security Council to increase representation beyond what currently exists in terms of the permanent seats, or we scrap it — get rid of it entirely — and find a different mechanism. I know the latter suggestion is something that has perplexed the United Nations system for a long time. The former seems like something that is seriously being considered, so maybe we put some effort into supporting that type of position and having regional representation.
Is that going to happen anytime soon? I doubt it. Therefore, what I would suggest with our presidency of the G7 is to support more sustained engagements and the inclusion of African states within multilateral bodies in equal ways so that we can ensure voices are there. We can look at that in all sorts of institutions.
The Chair: Thank you very much.
I will make one or two observations from the chair. You referred to the reform of the Security Council. I recall being involved in a multi-country initiative on that 25 years ago. It’s an ongoing project, one could say.
I’m grateful to Senator Gerba for asking the G7 question because that’s exactly where I was going. We can recall that there was, in fact, a G7 summit at Kananaskis under Mr. Chrétien when he was Prime Minister, and there were initiatives for Africa coming out of that. Indeed, the last time Canada chaired the G7 out of Charlevoix, we also had a few initiatives more targeted toward women and girls — so more gender targeted — in Africa, and the G7, the global system, received generous funding from the World Bank because we had done our homework to get that.
I know planning is under way and is something this committee might be looking at, too, in terms of its eventual recommendations on our Africa study.
On behalf of the committee, I’d like to thank Mr. Laryea-Adjei for being patient with us down there in New York. We appreciate the good work that UNICEF does all over the world, particularly in Africa. I’d like to thank Professors Hornsby and Odoom for being here with us today.
Colleagues, we will reconvene tomorrow morning at 11:30 in this room to continue our study on Africa.
(The committee adjourned.)