The 2025 Federal Budget positions itself as a plan for global competitiveness and economic diversification. However, it fails to meaningfully include one of the world’s fastest-growing and most dynamic regions: Africa.

Despite public commitments to African engagement through initiatives such as the RISE Partnership at the G7, Budget 2025 provides no tangible follow-through. Specifically, the Budget allocates:

• No dedicated funding

• No implementation plan

• No strategy for diaspora engagement

Even the federal government’s Canada–Africa Strategy, released in March 2025, remains unfunded and inactive.

This disconnect between stated priorities and actual budgetary commitments represents a missed opportunity for Canadian businesses, trade diversification, and long-term global partnerships. Africa cannot remain an afterthought if Canada is serious about economic resilience and international leadership.