Empowering Women Entrepreneurs: The Diversity Institute at FrancoTech 2024
As part of the delegation from Ontario, the institute strengthened ties with the Francophone entrepreneurship ecosystem.
This year, France hosted the 19th Francophonie Summit and simultaneously organized FrancoTech 2024, held on October 3 and 4 at Station F in Paris, France. The Diversity Institute, represented by Sabine Soumare, executive director of the Diversity Institute’s Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH), participated as part of the Ontarian delegation. The aim was to strengthen ties with the global Francophone entrepreneurial ecosystem. Organized by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Business France and the Alliance des Patronats Francophones, this international event brought together leaders to explore economic, technological and societal shifts that are having an impact on the global Francophone community.
Soumare attended the conference, along with leaders that included the Honourable Colton LeBlanc, Minister of Acadian Affairs and Francophonie, and Sylvie Painchaud, executive director of the Ministers’ Council on the Canadian Francophonie. A particularly memorable moment was the opportunity for the Ontarian delegation to interact with the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, who personally greeted them. On the second day, the Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau; the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada; and the Honourable Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Francophone Affairs of Ontario, participated in a discussion concerning artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies, and the vast potential these sectors offer for Francophone women entrepreneurs.
The Diversity Institute participated in FrancoTech 2024 thanks to an invitation from the Fédération des gens d’affaires francophones de l’Ontario and the Ontario Government, which has been instrumental in forging new partnerships and advancing conversations around entrepreneurship, innovation and AI as drivers of a dynamic Francophonie.