The African-Caribbean-Black Canadians Entrepreneurship & Business School Vision-2030 (ACB-CEBS Vision-2030) Project is a dedicated one-day intensive MBA-style business and management school program.
ACB-CEBS Vision-2030 is designed to elevate the quality of business education, making it accessible to Black Canadian entrepreneurs, investors, and tech startups across Canadian cities. This program provides lifelong, practical business and management skills for all entrepreneurs, regardless of their prior educational attainment, empowering them to expand and sustain their ventures successfully.
Apart from having access to business loan & capital, life-long business knowledge and investment in management skill are crucial to become global competitive entrepreneur and competent manager. Join us in your city to become the new face of Canadian Entrepreneur Human Capital.
The Black Canadian community is a vibrant and essential part of Canada’s social and economic fabric, with a growing entrepreneurial base and representation in diverse sectors. Despite these contributions, Black Canadians face challenges rooted in historical and structural inequities.
Black Canadians make up approximately 4.5% of Canada’s total population, with the majority living in urban centers such as Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, and Vancouver and Indigenous Black Nova Scotians,
Over 20% of Black Canadian households experience poverty, often resulting from limited access to high-paying job opportunities and structural inequalities.
While Black Canadians have a high labor force participation rate, many face underemployment, with 12% of Black workers in jobs below their skill levels.
Black Canadians represent only 1.5% of business owners in Canada, despite having a higher-than-average interest in entrepreneurship.
Black Canadians encounter a range of systemic barriers that impact their access toentrepreneurship and business ownership, such as:
Historical discrimination and biases in financial and educational institutions limit access to funding, mentorship, and resources necessary for business ownership.
Black entrepreneurs lack visibility and representation in major Canadian industries, leading to fewer mentorship and networking opportunities.
Difficulty accessing venture capital and bank loans remains a critical barrier, with Black Canadians receiving less than 2% of available small business loans.
Despite the barriers, Black-owned businesses contribute over $3 billion annually to Canada’s GDP. This contribution, however, is well below its potential, as evidenced by the under-representation of Black entrepreneurs in sectors like tech, manufacturing, and high-growth startups.
The Canadian Government has introduced targeted grants and loans to assist Black entrepreneurs, including:
Offering loans, grants, and business
development resources.
Including programs such as the Canada Small Business Financing Program and regional, Black-focused support funds.
The ACB – CEBS Vision-2030 program has clear objectives aimed at addressing these structural barriers and expanding opportunities for Black Canadian entrepreneurs
Provide accessible MBA-style training to equip Black Canadian entrepreneurs with critical business and management skills.
Facilitate entry into high-growth industries, increasing the number of Black-owned businesses in sectors like tech, finance, and export markets.
Facilitate entry into high-growth industries, increasing the number of Black-owned businesses in sectors like tech, finance, and export markets.
By supporting Black entrepreneurs, ACB – CEBS Vision-2030 aims to increase Black-owned
Achieving the ACB – CEBS Vision-2030 goals could result in a substantial increase in Black entrepreneurship and business ownership, creating job opportunities and reducing the wealth gap. The program also aims to foster a broader representation of Black Canadian entrepreneurs in export markets, increasing Canada’s global economic footprint.
To expand the benefits of ACB – CEBS Vision-2030, CEBS has partnered with Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) and the Trade Commissioner Service (TCS) to equip the Black Canadians to expand trade and investments opportunities in G-77 Countries. These partnerships offer critical resources to help entrepreneurs increase their trade capabilities, strengthen Canadian exports, and explore investment opportunities in the African Union (55 countries) and the Caribbean State Union (22 countries), collectively known as the G-77 Countries.
The TCS provides essential resources for entrepreneurs looking to export products and services to African and Caribbean markets, helping them navigate regulatory, logistical, and market-entry challenges.
BDC’s financing and advisory services empower Black Canadian entrepreneurs to secure capital for expansion into high-growth markets in Africa and
the Caribbean.
With TCS’s support, Black Canadian entrepreneurs can gain access to a network of international trade representatives and potential partners, enabling cross-border business collaborations and partnerships.
This partnership supports the growth of Black-owned businesses in international markets, increasing Canadian exports and strengthening economic ties between Canada and the G-77 countries, which can lead to long-term economic benefits.
By equipping Black Canadian entrepreneurs with essential business knowledge, expanding access to funding, and fostering international trade, the ACB – CEBS Vision-2030 is poised to transform Canada’s business landscape and foster economic inclusivity across the nation and beyond.
