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Africa Trade & Investment Forum : Diaspora Edition
June 26, 2025
12:30 - 4 PM
(Forum) + Evening Mixer
Entrepreneurs Point
117 Peter St, Suite 202,
Toronto, ON Canada
Unlocking Diaspora Led Investment, Collaboration & Trade Opportunities in Africa
The Rwandapreneur - Africa Trade & Investment Forum will gather industry leaders, ecosystem partners, high-growth entrepreneurs and investors to explore emerging opportunities for the African diaspora community in Canada and partners to collaborate for trade and investment on the continent. The forum will feature exclusive roundtable sessions, key presentations, panel discussions and networking opportunities.
Entrepreneurs
Investors
Ecosystem Builders
Voices Shaping Africa’s Economic Development Future
Charity Kabango
Co-founder, ESPartners
Charity Kabango
Charity Kabango is an accomplished entrepreneur, strategist, and co-founder of ESPartners (Entrepreneurial Solutions Partners), a leading advisory firm focused on unlocking growth potential for businesses across Africa. Driven by a deep commitment to fostering inclusive economic development, Charity has dedicated her career to empowering African entrepreneurs to create prosperity for themselves and their communities.
At ESPartners, Charity has worked with governments, international organizations, and private sector clients to develop strategies that drive scalable and sustainable impact. She has led diverse teams in providing advisory services that range from business transformation and capacity building to investment facilitation and market entry strategies. Her expertise spans multiple industries, including agribusiness, technology, and education, with a focus on enabling small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to realize their full potential and contribute meaningfully to local economies.
Charity is a passionate advocate for gender equity and the inclusion of women in leadership roles across Africa. She has been a speaker and panelist at numerous international forums, sharing her insights on the role of entrepreneurship in driving Africa’s economic transformation, as well as her personal journey in building a successful advisory firm.
Charity holds a Masters in Engineering and Public Policy from McMaster University, a bachelor in Electrical Engineering from Western University and a bachelor in International Development from Huron University College .
Aser Hailu
Managing Partner at Deyabo Capital
Aser Hailu
Aser Hailu is Managing Partner at Deyabo Capital, an investment firm focused on scaling high-potential SMEs across Eastern Africa. The firm takes significant stakes and applies a hands-on, operational approach to unlock growth and deliver outsized returns.
Aser brings half a decade of Investment Banking experience, having advised on more than $3 billion in M&A transactions across sectors including technology, energy, and real estate
Dr. Olutoyin Oyelade
Managing Partner, InVcap Corporation
Dr. Olutoyin Oyelade
Dr. Olutoyin Oyelade is an accomplished investment banker, entrepreneur, and philanthropist with a strong commitment to empowering women, youth, and newcomers She formerly served as Group Executive of Investment Banking at Nigeria’s Intercontinental Banking Group (IBG), where she managed an $8 billion portfolio across its 385 branches and subsidiaries in Nigeria, Ghana, and the UK, until the bank’s merger with Access Bank in 2011.
After relocating to Canada, Dr. Oyelade founded Casa Foundation for International Development in 2011, a nonprofit organization committed to advancing socio-economic development opportunities for underrepresented communities. She became President and CEO in 2021.
In 2013, Dr. Oyelade established InVcap Corporation, an investment firm with operations in Canada and Nigeria. As Managing Partner, she played a pivotal role in raising capital for Splash World Park West Africa’s first waterpark. InVcap later invested in Entrepreneurs Point (EP), an incubator supporting underrepresented founders. Over the past two years, InVcap and its partners have secured seed funding for 51 Canadian founders—60% of whom are women and youth.
Dr. Oyelade holds a Doctorate in Management from the University of Maryland, an MBA from Obafemi Awolowo University, and a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy. She is also an alumna of executive programs at Wharton School (AMP), IMD Business School (Switzerland), and Lagos Business School (SMP).
Yannick Lefang
Founder & CEO, KASI Insights
Yannick Lefang
Yannick is the Founder & CEO at KASI Insight, Africa’s most innovative research and advisory company that empower business leaders and organizations with reliable consumer data and actionable insights.
KASI Insight solves problems that present challenges for most firms doing business in Africa – lack of fresh local market data, slow project turnarounds, and a need for contextual insight and innovative research methods.
The company provides consumer surveys, market insights and data-driven advice services in six countries (Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Kenya, and South Africa) today in addition to innovative data products such as the KIC Score, Africa’s first monthly consumer perception score.
Yannick has over 10 years of technology, banking and risk management experience with a variety of organizations ranging from start-ups to leading financial firms in Canada.
Yannick is a professional risk manager holder and a cum-laude graduate in Electrical Engineering from the University of Ottawa.
Tina Mbachu Obodozie
Executive Director, Innovate Africa Foundation
Tina Mbachu Obodozie
Tina Mbachu Obodozie, MSc, PMP, is an impact-driven leader, founder, and advisor advancing innovation at the intersection of technology, economy, and society. As Executive Director of the Innovate Africa Foundation, she leads efforts to build inclusive ecosystems and support early-stage, market-creating innovations across the continent. She is also the Founder and CEO at Catalyst Venture, a pan African group advancing inclusive entrepreneurship and impact driven innovation across the continent. The group comprises Catalyst Venture Foundation, Catalyst Venture Studio, and Catalyst Venture Angels; with the goal of catalyzing affordability, equity, and building inclusive economies. With over a decade of cross-sector experience and recognition as a 2024 Peak Emerging Leader in Entrepreneurship, Tina is a trusted voice in the innovation and impact space, across Africa and Canada.
Ali Soumah
Investor & CEO, ASBC
Ali Soumah
An African-Canadian entrepreneur with a passion for driving economic development in both Canada and across Africa. He is the Founder & CEO of ASBC, an international business consulting firm specializing in supporting business growth and scaling ventures. With over 15 years of expertise in entrepreneurship, accounting & taxation, and investment & financing, he has dedicated himself to coaching and mentoring entrepreneurs while fostering innovation in business. His journey has inspired many to embrace entrepreneurship and kickstart their ventures.In recognition of his impact, Ali was named Black Entrepreneur of the Year in 2022 by CanadianSME Small Business Magazine and was a 2024 finalist for the CanadianSME Immigrant Entrepreneur Award
Efosa Obano
Founder, African Impact Initiative
Efosa Obano
Efosa Obano is the Founder of the African Impact Initiative, which supports African innovators with capital, community, and capacity building. He has experience with creating scalable economic impact for marginalized communities, using technology and capital. For this, he has been recognized by the United Nations, the Minister’s Award of Excellence, MIPAD’s Most Influential People of African Descent, and Canada’s Globe and Mail Change Makers.
Isaac Olowolafe Jr
Real Estate Entrepreneur & Investor, Dream Maker Developments
Isaac Olowolafe Jr
Isaac Olowolafe Jr. is an award-winning real estate entrepreneur, venture capitalist and philanthropist and 2025 recipient of The King Charles 111 Coronation Medal. On a professional level, the Development division celebrated the completion of the first major mixed-use development (condos, townhomes, retail) called Dream Residences at Yorkdale, located directly across from Yorkdale Mall, and launched Dream Suites @ YYZ, a boutique hotel near Pearson International Airport. Through his love of sports, Dream Developments became the jersey sponsor of Canada’s Men’s and Women’s National Basketball Teams from 2017 to 2020. Isaac obtained a Bachelor’s in Economics from the University of Toronto. He has received numerous awards and recognitions, including a Harry Jerome Business Award, an Enterprise Business Award by Planet Africa, an Arbor Award from the University of Toronto, a Business Leadership Award by Leadership and Governance Canada Inc., a Public Service Award from the Transformation Institute for Leadership & Innovation, and Toronto Board of Trade Award. On a Philanthropic side with Dream Legacy Foundation. He launched his first endowment at the University of Toronto’s African Studies program over ten years ago, and since then has joined membership in the Toronto Metropolitan University Innovation Circle, also a generous donation which named the Isaac Olowolafe Jr. Digital Media Experience Lab in TMU’s iconic Student Learning Centre. Isaac funded the launch of the first Black tech incubator out of any university in Canada called the Black Innovation Programs at the DMZ, and the co-launch of Black Innovation Capital (now called BKR Capital), the first-institutionally backed fund for Black tech entrepreneurs in Canada. As Chair of the Housing Committee of the Black North Initiative, he was involved in the launch of the Homeownership Bridge Program, a federally funded program in partnership with Dream Legacy Foundation and Habitat for Humanity GTA.
Zuwa Matondo
President & Founder of Gov-Enhance Africa
Zuwa Matondo
Zuwa is a policy-preneur and governance innovator working at the intersection of governance, innovation, and tech-driven development. With experience across the continent, he has advised the African Union, various African governments, as well as several private institutions in Africa. He is passionate about building stronger, more transparent governments that enable trade, investment, and collaboration to thrive – centred around Africa’s citizens.
As founder of Gov-Enhance Africa, he’s championing Gov-Tech and Civ-Tech solutions that connect citizens, governments, and the diaspora to accelerate accountability and growth. Backed by legal and policy training from McGill and Oxford University, and a career in digital governance at a Big 4 firm, he brings bold, actionable ideas that can help shape Africa’s future—through a accountability and technology that seek to empower Africa’s citizens.
Sarra Ali
Founder, Diaminate
Sarra Ali
Sarra Ali is a founder and AI strategist building Diaminate, a platform that automates founder and stakeholder reporting while delivering strategic, actionable insights. She is a graduate of the University of Toronto and serves as President of the Global South Council for Algorithmic Integrity. She is also a recognized voice in the Africa–Canada trade space. Sarra is a Fellow in Responsible AI and Human Rights at MILA, the world’s largest AI research institute, in collaboration with the University of Montreal. She is an alumna of the U.S. Department of State’s Leadership in Business and Communication program and serves as a consultant at the World Health Organization. She is currently incubated at the Black Founders Network, sponsored by KPMG and the University of Toronto Entrepreneurship, as well as the Silicon Valley Founder Institute. Her work focuses on building AI-powered businesses and initiatives that solve global problems through ethical deployment and scalable innovation.
Alex Ntale
CEO, Rwanda ICT
Alex Ntale
Alex Ntale is the CEO of the Rwanda ICT Chamber and a leading figure in Rwanda’s fast-growing tech ecosystem. With a passion for innovation, technology, and financial markets, he has played a key role in driving Rwanda’s digital transformation.
Under his leadership, the Rwanda ICT Chamber has fostered an environment of collaboration between government, industry, and academia, contributing to Rwanda’s reputation as a tech hub in Africa.
Alex’s expertise lies in harnessing technology to solve global challenges, with a particular focus on financial technology and ICT-driven solutions. His efforts have helped advance Rwanda’s digital finance and mobile technology industries, paving the way for innovation that benefits both the public and private sectors.
Agenda
VIP roundtable
Diaspora led investment strategies & partnerships
Key emerging trends & opportunities (AI, trade, infrastructure, tech, start-up ecosystem, etc)
Networking & collaboration
Standard
- $250
- Company logo on event screen
- social media mention
- company recognition at the forum
Premium package
- $1000
- Company logo on event screen
- logo on event screen
- social media promo/flyer
- website event page company highlight
- 2 complimentary tickets
- post-event company outreach & material to participants
Level up package
- $500