‘We had faith’: Saskatoon hosts second annual Black Business Expo

(Carla Shynkaruk/CTV News)

The second annual Saskatoon Black Business Expo took over Hall B at Prairieland Park on Saturday.

The event provided a platform for black entrepreneurs and business professionals to showcase their ventures, connect with industry leaders, and access resources.

“We have people from Ghana, Cameroon, Sudan, and Nigeria. I can think of different people from across the Congo too. Yes, this event is well-represented,” Tosin Fetuga, co-organizer and partner at Noblelinks Consulting, told CTV News.

This year’s event, organized by the Saskatoon Black Business Network, included 100 vendors displaying their businesses and careers, ranging from African-inspired food, banking, commerce, trades, specialty clothing, and many more.

When the event started last year, organizers weren’t sure what to expect. They had only 40 vendors that first year.

“We had faith and we had courage. We knew that this was going to be tough, but we set a target for ourselves to get 100 businesses here today,” she said.

The expo provides increased visibility for Black-owned businesses in Saskatoon, and there’s even one business from Yorkton.

Fetuga says the face of Saskatoon is changing, and this event reflects that which is why they started the event.

“We did our research. Nothing like this had been done in Saskatoon before. And we said ‘you know what, we’re going to do this.’ So we went all out.”

Looking beyond Saskatoon, the expo aims to strengthen economic ties between Canada and the home countries of many black entrepreneurs in the province.

The potential for business collaboration, joint ventures, and institutional support is very much on the minds of leaders in the Black business community, with the hope of benefiting both Canada and the countries represented at the expo.

Beyond showcasing businesses, organizers hope the expo fosters inclusivity and economic empowerment through collaborations with major organizations.

About 800 people visited the one-day event.