CanCham Member Forum: Strengthening Connections in 2025

On National Chocolate Day at the Africa Regent Hotel, Canada Ghana Chamber of Commerce (CanCham) Council, led by President Linda Vasnani and Executive Secretary Edwina Atta-Sonno, unveiled the 2025 Chamber Calendar—a year dedicated to strengthening connections across communities, industries, and international partnerships through an extensive lineup of initiatives.

Expanding CanCham’s global engagement remains a priority in 2025. Our flagship business summit ‘CEOs Connect’ will, for the first time, be hosted in Calgary, Canada, on the theme, ‘Driving the Green Energy Transition: Opportunities for Canada-Ghana Collaboration’. The summit will provide unmatched B2B opportunities for Ghanaian and Canadian businesses. CanCham will also be participating in SIAL Canada, a premier global event for food and hospitality, which will help members to acquire advanced technology in doing business.

A key focus of the Calendar is deepening engagement with our communities. Our ‘CEOs Breakfast Meeting’ held in collaboration with Kosmos Innovation Centre (KIC), fittingly opened the year with the theme ‘Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): Strategic Value and Impact Creation’. This event reinforced CanCham’s role in bridging business with social impact. A key example of our commitment is our new CSR initiative, ‘By the Fireside’, a program supporting young women who dropped out of school seeking to return to school or enter the workforce. This aligns with the timely theme of International Women’s Day, ‘Accelerate Action’ and the President encouraged members to actively champion gender equity and spotlight women leaders within their organizations.

We have expanded opportunities for members to engage with each other this year. One example is the newly introduced ‘Pitch & Climb Networking Cocktails’, a dynamic networking and marketing platform for businesses across multiple sectors to showcase their products and services. An exciting first, is our commemoration of Ghana Day to recognize our business community’s ties to Ghanaian culture and national development. To ensure inclusivity, it will be held in April, to allow our Muslim members participate. A further highlight is a CanCham-Enzee Events Collaboration, ‘The CEO’S CONNECT Africa Business Festival’, a new edition to our flagship Business Summit in August to provide a continued high-level forum for business leaders in Ghana across all sectors.

Peter Fiamor, Trade Commissioner at the High Commission of Canada, during our “Time with TCS (Trade Commission Service)” session, shared various opportunities for direct engagement with Canadian investors. He highlighted exciting TCS Trade Missions such as, GES, PDAC, Construct Canada, among others. Yet, he also emphasized that Canadian investment opportunities exist year-round and encouraged members to engage the Commission beyond trade missions. 

Marie Keita Amarteifio, CEO of Askia Immigration Consulting Services, provided insights on the Canadian immigration system, advising early planning and thorough documentation for a successful visa application. 

As we continue strengthening connections, members can expect even more opportunities from CanCham's 2025 Calendar for engagement, collaboration, and business growth throughout the year.