After a successful first conference in Prince Albert, the Canadian Centre for Raw Materials Display Inc. (CaCeRMDI) has started plans to host their second.
Representatives from five countries, including Canada, were on hand in November when CaCeRMDI hosted the first International Conference and Exhibition for Raw Materials. CaCeRMDI president Leo Ekhaguere said that gave them the confidence to host a second one in April, with more than 50 delegates already registered.
“We’re going to be marketing all the raw materials of different provinces (and) of different territories of Canada to the whole world,” Ekhaguere said. “We need investors in Canada. We need investors in our country, and everything that we do, will be sending them from Prince Albert.
“When people come into Prince Albert to have an in-person conference and exhibition, it will increase the economic growth of our city and our province.”
Ekhaguere said he was very excited with the response to November’s conference. Delegates from the United States, United Kingdom, Ghana, and Nigeria attended, and Saskatchewan’s Legislative Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Resources, Daryl Harrison, gave the keynote address.
Ekhaguere said there is a lot of demand for raw materials around the world. He hopes this conference will help educate and inform industries and businesses who need them, while also promoting Canada and Prince Albert.
However, he’s also hopeful researchers and members of the public will find the conference beneficial.
“We kind of shine a light on where all the raw materials are found so that those who need these raw materials will know where they are found,” he said. “The intention is to continually make available the things that make our life comfortable.”
The two-day conference in November focused on potash and uranium, two raw materials Saskatchewan has in abundance.
The April conference will run an entire week, starting on April 25 and running until May 2. Ekhaguere said they’ll be marketing Alberta’s raw materials in April, with a special focus on Limestone and Lithium. There are also plans for a November 2024 conference focusing on Manitoba, and future conferences focusing on the rest of Canada.
As for the CaCeRMDI, Ekhaguere said their aim is to expand their presence in Prince Albert.
“We hope to have a centre where we have different collections of raw materials, where anyone who comes into Canada would always want to visit our centre, to take away, to see what raw materials are used,” he said.
“By that, we can make our own city visible as well.”
Registration closes for the Second International Conference and Exhibition for Raw Materials on Feb. 29, 2024. The event will be held at the Prince Albert Public Library.
Delegates will have an opportunity to tour Prince Albert and area, including Prince Albert National Park before the official opening ceremony on April 29.
Delegates are also expected to tour mining sites and some farms in Prince Albert and the north.
@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca
