After a successful first conference last year, the Canadian Centre for Raw Materials Display Inc. (CaCeRMDI) will host the second International Conference and Exhibition for Raw Materials (ICERMs) starting Thursday.
The topic is “Increasing the Visibility of Alberta’s Raw Material.’’ CaCeRMDI President Osagie “Leo” Ekhaguere is happy to see his conference back for another year.
“It’s really growing very well because 14 people got visas to attend our second conference,” Ekhaguere said. “That’s a very good one. Last year we couldn’t get them to apply because it was too (little time) and we opened it and said, ‘OK, in-person conference with the next year’ … so we are happy. We are so excited because the conference is really growing very fast, and the community is happy too. We are impacting the community.”
The International Conference and Exhibition for Raw Materials (ICERMs) 2024 will take place between April 25 and May 2 at the Conference Room in the Prince Albert Public Library.
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.
The purpose of the conference is to bring together both Canadian and international people involved in raw materials research to share their ideas for solving the current raw material shortage.
The opening ceremony is Monday, April 29 between 9 a.m. and noon. Ekhaguere said that Premier Danielle Smith of Alberta has sent a letter to greet the delegates and Mayor Greg Dionne is bringing greetings from the City of Prince Albert during the opening ceremony.
Representatives from the Chamber of Commerce have also said that they will attend and the Federal Minister for Energy and Natural Resources has sent regrets but wished them well.
“They all have knowledge about what we are doing and that gives us a lot of confidence,” he said.
During the conference, they will also be launching their first book. He also plans to launch a Raw Materials Club and is looking to launch a version at Ecole St. Mary High School.
They have also published a book of abstracts which includes essays.
“The real book is the one that called the Global Distribution of Raw Materials. We are launching that,” Ekhaguere said.
“But, the book we are publishing is a book for all entrepreneurs, all investors and anyone that wants to go into raw material trade so that they can know where these raw materials are found all over the world. It’s called Global Distribution of Raw Materials, a comprehensive guide for investors, entrepreneurs and industry professionals.”
The Book launch will either be at some point after the opening ceremony with a date to be determined.
Delegates are also expected to tour mining sites and some farms in Prince Albert and the north.
They have also published a book of abstracts which includes essays.
CaCeRMDI is a not-for-profit group based out of Prince Albert.
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
