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Dr. Patricia Makhesha of Ivanhoe Mines joins the Board of Directors, while outgoing Chair, Mr. Sebastian Spio-Garbrah, takes up the newly constituted position of Special Trade and Investment Envoy to the AfCFTA Secretariat in Accra
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The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business (www.CanadaAfrica.ca) is pleased to announce major growth and an expansion of our operations in support of promoting trade and investment between Canada and Africa, approved at our recent Special Board Meeting. The Board has unanimously decided on a leadership restructuring to further accelerate the mandate to promote Canada-Africa trade and investment.
 Mr. Sebastian Spio-Garbrah, the Chair of the Board, is to be deployed to take up the newly constituted position of Special Envoy on Trade and Investment to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, in Accra, Ghana – given the strong interest of our private sector members. AfCFTA is the largest free trade area in the world measured by the number of countries participating, in excess of a projected US$3.4 trillion annual GDP. Preferential access to this emerging African trade bloc can effectively double the number of people and countries with whom Canadians can trade. Mr Spio-Garbrah’s historic mandate is to facilitate support for AfCFTA implementation, and information-sharing for Canadian and African stakeholders – to enable trade with an eventual single African market; respecting both Canada’s trade diversification agenda and recognizing its enormous success on existing free trade deals to date. We are excited to announce that Mr. Spio-Garbrah’s vacant director seat is to be graciously filled by Dr. Patricia Makhesha. Dr. Makhesha is an Executive Vice President at Ivanhoe Mines, having served as CEO of Ivanplats. Dr. Makhesha served as keynote speaker at the memorable 2019 Indaba Gala and is a major advocate of Canada-Africa trade and investment, reflected in the extensive work of Ivanhoe as a Canadian firm operating in Africa. The current Vice Chair, Ms. Gwenaële Montagner, will serve as Interim Chair until the Chamber’s Annual General Meeting in early 2022. Ms. Montagner has served on the Board for a decade and is a Senior Director of the Toronto Region Board of Trade. The new Chair of the Board will be elected by the members of the Chamber at the next AGM. Supporting the Chair of the Board from the Chamber’s offices in Ottawa is the newly elected Vice Chair, Ms. Paula Caldwell St-Onge, the former Director General for Africa in the Government of Canada who also served with distinction as Ambassador to Haiti. The Board also unanimously extended the mandate of the President of the Chamber, Mr. Garreth Bloor, for a second term of office until February 2025. Mr. Bloor has led the transformation of the Chamber and dramatically helped to firm up the position of the Chamber as the voice of Canada-Africa trade and investment. Ms. Samantha Mandigora, a passionate volunteer of the Chamber at events for several years, takes on the newly created position, Head of Operations, a part-time role in the Office of the President. Mr Jacques NdoutouMvé and Ms Susan Namulindwa remain Vice Presidents of the Chamber. We also take the opportunity to thank the Board of Directors and Senior Advisory Board for their leadership, as well as the contributions of Free Trade Graduate Fellow Akinyi J. Eurallyah, the Vice Presidents (Jacques NdoutouMvé and Susan Namulindwa), Toye Abioye on Social Media and Undergrad Summer Associate, Jason Etim-Basse. |
![Canon (www.Canon-CNA.com) today announces the Colorado XL-series, a new platform of 3.4m printers that extends the proven advantages of Canon's UVgel technology to the 3.2m graphics market. Available in hybrid and roll-to-roll configurations, the modular, field upgradable platform powered by UVgel technology delivers great versatility and exceptional productivity for both flexible and rigid media applications from signage and décor to point of sale and packaging. The Colorado XL-series comprises two easy-to-operate models: the Colorado XL7 roll-to-roll printer and Colorado XL7 hybrid printer. The new series brings the benefits of UVgel to a new market segment with exceptional application versatility across a comprehensive range of media – from banner, paper, vinyl and films to soft signage, heat-sensitive materials, foam board, fluted polypropylene, acrylic, aluminium composite boards and cardboard – providing the flexibility to tackle diverse customer requirements. With print speeds of 70m² per hour in quality mode, 106m² per hour in production mode and up to 211m² per hour in express mode, the system delivers the productivity needed for demanding production environments while accommodating substrates up to 52mm/2 inches thick for rigid applications. The new platform includes multiple technology innovations, such as the UVgel 860 ink set, which has been optimised to cover a wide variety of both rigid and flexible applications. It also provides the proven benefits of UVgel: odourless and instant-dry prints, high mechanical and chemical robustness, dimensional stability due to low-temperature curing, excellent colour consistency, TPO [1] - and VCL [2] -free, and matte and gloss finish without the need of a separate varnish. The Colorado XL-series also incorporates new UVgel 850 PrintHeads. Each printhead has 4,544 nozzles and features automated built-in nozzle performance monitoring and compensation. A single printhead supports two colours simultaneously, so that only two printheads are required to print CMYK, plus an optional third if white is configured. Additionally, the Colorado XL-series has an agile and precise printhead carriage that features UVgel DynamicMotion Control to ensure exceptional print quality even with challenging media. Taking the UV LED curing process to the next level, the Colorado XL-series introduces UVgel FullBeam Curing. This technology uses a unique 3.4-metre-wide LED curing array that, combined with an ingenious mirror system, delivers consistent UV light dosing across the entire print width, guaranteeing exceptional print uniformity over large surfaces and enabling a wider colour gamut. Media handling is optimised by the new UVgel TRIdrive vacuum belt system, which features three interactive rollers and multiple powerful vacuum zones that reduce wrinkling and skewing by automatically detecting and correcting the media positioning. This results in highly repeatable media transport through the printer, ensuring accurate positioning both longitudinally and laterally and enabling razor-sharp applications. Optional features for the Colorado XL-series, which are already available on the highly successful and modular Colorado M-series, include: UVgel White for hassle-free white printing, FLXfinish+ for creative effects using matte or gloss or mixed matte and gloss on the same print without additional varnish, and FLXture for textured finishes that mimic materials like leather, wood or fabric. Mathew Faulkner, Director, Marketing & Innovation, Wide Format Printing Group, Canon EMEA, comments: "For the past decade, Canon has been at the forefront of the inkjet evolution in large format, with market-leading technologies including the Colorado roll-to-roll printer series powered by UVgel technology and the Arizona flatbed printers. Large format print providers are looking for systems that deliver high productivity, versatile applications and reliable quality while addressing the challenge of finding skilled operators – which is why Canon is launching our new, breakthrough Colorado XL-series, an addition to our portfolio that will set a new standard in productivity and versatility. “This innovative solution brings the proven advantages of our unique UVgel technology to the 3.2m market for the first time, combining it with extensive automation and a modular design that will enable customers to extend their application possibilities into markets such as packaging and décor. Print service providers already producing high-value signage and graphics can now leverage UVgel's distinctive finishes, including mixed gloss and matte effects and textured printing, at scale to stand out in these new markets. And with its hybrid capabilities, users can print both roll-to-roll and rigid applications on the same device, using the same ink, the same colour profiles and the same unique features and finishes. For brands, for example, this translates to seamless campaigns that span the full spectrum of applications, ensuring perfect consistency across campaign assets whether they're roll-fed graphics, rigid signage, packaging, or décor elements. This is particularly valuable when these different applications appear side by side in-store, where maintaining that consistent quality and finish elevates the entire brand experience that today's brands demand." The Colorado XL-series will be available from the beginning of 2026 via Canon’s direct sales organisations as well as from accredited partners. For more information about the Colorado XL-series, please visit: https://apo-opa.co/3WltKtM](https://businessinsights.africa/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/canon_prograf-100x70.png "Canon expands large format graphics production portfolio with new 3.4m Colorado XL-series")
