CaCeRMDI president and founder Leo Ekhaguere (left) with students at P.A.'s St. Mary High School. (Facebook/Cacermdi TV)

By paNOW Staff

RAW MATERIALS

Conference on exploring Canada’s raw materials returns to P.A.

Apr 29, 2024 | 10:00 AM

After a successful first year in Prince Albert, the Canadian Centre for Raw Materials is bringing more international interest to the city.

The Second Annual Raw Materials Conference begins Monday in Prince Albert with about 14 delegates, many from Africa, attending the event, hosted by the Canadian Centre for Raw Materials Display Inc. (CaCeRMDI).

After the success of last year’s inaugural event, Leo Ekhaguere, president and founder of CaCeRMDI is excited about what will take place this year.

“The first conference was focused on the raw materials of Saskatchewan; this second conference is focused on the raw materials of Alberta,” he said. “We must see increased visibility of raw materials so that those that want to go into such trades will know where we have all these items in concentrations and how they can take positive advantage of this distribution across Canada and across the globe.”

One of the major events happening at the conference this week will be the launch of the CaCeRMDI journal, the Journal of the Canadian Center for Raw Materials, featuring the discussions from the first conference in 2023.

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The centre will also launch its first-ever book, Global Distribution of Raw Materials: A Comprehensive Guide for Investors, Entrepreneurs and Industry Professionals.

“We want people to have sufficient information about what happened in the first conference and to know what we are doing in this conference,” said Ekhaguere.

The purpose of the conference and CaCeRMDI is to educate Canadians on the raw materials in different parts of the country. These materials can be used in industries like cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, electronics, and textiles.

“What we are doing is to increase the visibility of not just the raw materials, but also the industries that are actually involved in converting this stuff into finished products,” said Ekhaguere. “You find some raw materials even in Walmart.”

Part of the mission for CaCeRMDI is to teach younger generations about raw materials. Last year, the organization held an essay contest for high school students on raw materials. The winners were recognized earlier this month and some of those essays will be read on the first day of the conference.

Aside from encouraging younger Canadians to take an interest in raw materials, Ekhaguere is also pleading for more people to join its board.

“We want people from all tribes, of all races to come to the centre and to reflect the true Canadian colour that we are. A true Canadian spirit, a multicultural setting,” he said.

Those interested in joining the board or learning more about the Canadian Centre for Raw Materials are invited to visit its official website.

This week’s conference is happening from now until May 2.

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panews@pattisonmedia.com