World's Indigenous entrepreneurs head to summit

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Hundreds of Indigenous people will have a chance to visit, exchange ideas, and make new friends and business associates at the first World Summit of Indigenous Entrepreneurs (WSIE) that will be held Aug. 18 to 20 in Scarborough.

Entrepreneurs from more than 40 countries will represent such diverse sectors as food services, agriculture, biotechnology, trade investment, culture, entertainment, information technology, finance and banking, oil and gas, minerals and natural resources.

Workshops, plenary sessions, guest speakers, a trade show, and a Lets Make A Deal session will be part of the gathering. The theme for the conference is 'Indigenous Entrepreneurs and World Trades: A New Mechanism for Shared Prosperity'.

Sujit Chowdhury, global co-ordinator for WSIE, said the theme came from consulting Indigenous entrepreneurs from 10 or 15 countries who were asked to explain what first came to their minds about Indigenous entrepreneurs and global affairs. He said that almost unanimously they said that they were looking for shared prosperity.

"They said 'We want to deal with the country where we live and we want to make sure that the prosperity is shared'."

The summit is hosted by the Aboriginal banking component of the Bank of Montreal and is sponsored by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and Aboriginal Business Canada. It is being organized by the Institute for Leadership Development-a United Nations global partnership initiative.

Every 10 years, the United Nations dedicates a decade to a grand cause. This year ends the United Nations' Decade of the World's Indigenous People. The summit is in honor of the that.

According to Chowdhury, during this decade many national, regional and global activities relating to Indigenous affairs have been held around the world, mostly engaging social, political and cultural dialogue; however, this is the first time an attempt has been made to bring Indigenous businesses from around the world to a single platform.

He said a number of senior executives, including officials of the United Nations, have been planning this event for a year.

"Hence, the World Summit on Indigenous Entrepreneurs is a chance for the groups to come together to share experiences and successes ... what has been successful? What has not been successful? What failed? Why did it fail? And how can we move forward to explore joint ventures and opportunities to engage entrepreneurs, especially Indigenous entrepreneurs from across Canada and from around the world, as well as non-Aboriginal entrepreneurs who are interested in doing business with the Aboriginal entrepreneurs. The support and the response for this kind of summit from around the world has been phenomenal," he said.

An Aboriginal Elder will open the summit with prayer, and an honour dance will be performed.

"It is really important to make a spiritual rejuvenation for economic growth, because what is the meaning of prosperity if we cannot share it," said Chowdhury.

Chowdhury said that according to a UN study, there are 300 million Indigenous people around the world. He believes that is a powerful force, but he said that not much has been done in the field of Indigenous businesses on a global scale.

"We are bringing the world here for the Indigenous people of Canada, and it is a marvelous opportunity for them to seize the moment and that is exactly what we plan to do," he said.

For more information phone Chowdhury at (416) 650-8081 or visit the event Web site at www.wtuglobal.org.