By Wale Olapade
CANADA-based Nigerian licensed immigration advisor and convener, Leadership Conference, Edmonton Canada, Dr Lina Mba, will host the premier edition of Leadership Conference in Edmonton the capital city of Canadian Province of Alberta, in a deliberate move to attract international businesses.
Mba said that this year’s conference, which holds on August 26, and will be streamed, will attract top CEOs and potential investors from all over the world. “We will have some Canadian politicians in attendance. Awards will be given to a select few,” she added.
She stated that mentoring of teenage girls who dropped out of school due to pregnancy, also forms the thrust of this year’s conference, adding that proceeds from the conference will be used to procure equipment and training opportunities to develop skill that will fetch the girls’ revenue as well as contribute to local economy.
“We are currently mentoring teenage girls that dropped out of school due to pregnancy and are having challenges going back to school. These proceeds will help them get equipped with equipment and training to develop a skill that can turn into a source of revenue and contribute to their local economy.”
She recalled that mental health awareness among black communities was the theme of last year’s edition because there were high incidences of suicide and depression among black communities in Canada.
She noted that creating a platform to spread awareness is important because ‘we want to save people and let them know that things will be okay in due time and suicide is not an option.’
According to her “Many people in the black community are suffering in silence because they are shamed and mocked when they discuss their mental health challenges. We need to be able to have these difficult conversations to thrive as a community.”
On the quality of speakers at last year’s conference, Dr Mba said there were diverse set of speakers that included Mr Justin Brittany and Mr Scott who are white.
She explained that mental health is not discussed in the black community and that having black dignitaries facilitate the event is important as this provides reliability.
Among the facilitators at last year were Mrs Funky Banjoko, who is the first black councilor in the city of Fort McMurray, Mrs Sochi Ogbonna, who was appointed by the government of Alberta as Co-chair of the Alberta Anti-Racism Advisory Council (AARAC), and Minister KC Madu who has excelled in Canadian politics.
However, this year’s conference has more diverse facilitators. Mr. Art Kominek of the Alberta Real Estate Board is one of them. He will cover real estate as potential investments. We also have a professor from the University of Alberta and much more,” she said.
