Black-Owned Business

with Sharif Haji

by Taneya Rogers

black-owned businesses make significant, underreported contributions to the economy in the Prairies, specifically, Alberta. Conversations around keeping dollars cycled within the Black community have identified the need to build a more robust Black business ecosystem. Sharif Haji , the Executive Director at The Council for Advancement of the African Canadians in Alberta, known as “Africa Centre”, stands on the frontlines of several initiatives that advance inclusivity in the arena of social, economic and civic participation among Black communities in Alberta.

Mr. Haji shares, “When we speak of the Black business landscape, we need to consider the unique challenges that Black entrepreneurs navigate; from business inception to expansion, and consider how race may impact these businesses at each stage of development.”

Canada has shied away from collecting race-based data to accurately measure how stifling systems impact the growth of Black enterprise. It is undeniable that Black businesses and Alberta’s growing Black communities are critical to the

When we speak of the Black “ business landscape, we need to consider the unique challenges that Black “entrepreneurs navigate...

continued development and diversification of Alberta’s economy. Captured in the 3-Cs, Mr. Haji addresses some of the needs of the Black business community: • Capacity support – mechanisms, tools, and policies to support growth • Capital – access to funding without the fear of facing discriminatory financial institutions. • Coaching – the transferring of information, particularly for Black immigrant entrepreneurs who must navigate new cultural norms.

To address these challenges, in September 2020, Prime Minister Trudeau announced the creation of the Black Entrepreneurship Program (BEP), an investment of nearly $221 million, to support Black businesses throughout Canada. Learn more about the threetiered program at: www.ic.gc.ca/eic/ site//150.nsf/eng/home.

“The Africa Centre is one of the co-founders of the Federation of the African Canadian Economics (FACE), the national entity to administer the Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund and is also building capacity support within the Black business ecosystem” said Mr. Haji. The Africa Centre is playing its part by enhancing the economic diversification and economic inclusivity for Western Canada; we are each encouraged to find avenues to do the same.