Liberals release long-delayed Africa strategy with no new funding

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau takes part in a bilateral meeting with H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairperson of the African Union, in Toronto, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Eduardo Lima

OTTAWA — The Liberals have released their long-promised Africa strategy, without the funding and media blitz that accompanied their plan for Asia.

The strategy calls for an increased focus on trade and security co-operation with entities like the African Union, as Ottawa and businesses go beyond a focus on aid.

Ottawa says it wants diplomats and businesses to seize opportunities from the continent’s young population, who are set to drive and economic boom in the coming decades.

The document reiterates recent spending and investment pledges the government has made for the continent but talks of reallocating federal funds more efficiently.

The government has continually delayed its Africa strategy, at one point downgrading it to a framework, and one Liberal MP warned recently that prorogation meant there may be no new funds.

Critics have contrasted this with the $2.3 billion that the Liberals earmarked for the Indo-Pacific strategy that it launched with a press conference and keynote speeches in 2022.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 6, 2025.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press