New chamber of commerce aims to build up Black businesses in Manitoba

You just needed some seed money and a location to start a business from scratch where Zita Somakoko grew up in the Central African Republic.

"I got my money, I just look for a place and I rent and boom — a business," she said.

"That's not how it's done here, right?"

As a business development coach, Somakoko understands the complicated challenges and regulations an entrepreneur must navigate to own a business in Canada.

She finds other Black people in Manitoba who dream of running businesses, many of whom are newcomers, don't always know where to turn.

Somakoko launched an organization to help, the Black Manitobans Chamber of Commerce, on Wednesday at the Manitoba Legislature, with Premier Heather Stefanson among the guest speakers. Somakoko will be the first president.

'Thriving community'

"There is a growing movement of Black chambers of commerce across Canada, and I am so honoured and happy to see this distinct platform come here to Manitoba," the premier said.

"This is a testament of the thriving community that Black entrepreneurs have built here in Winnipeg."

Somakoko, who runs a human relations consulting firm, has been working eight years to develop this chamber.

There are around 500 Black-owned businesses in the province and many will rush to sign up as members now that it's been officially announced, she said.

Traditional chambers of commerce tend to focus on business development, Somakoko said.

She spoke of one individual who received a bunch of information from their chamber but said "I don't know how to use them."

"That's what we are here for," she said of the Black Manitobans Chamber of Commerce: to build businesses from the ground up.

Bram Strain, president of the Business Council of Manitoba, credited Somakoko and other leaders in the Black community with pushing to ensure they had a seat at the table.

"They wanted access. They wanted equality," he said. "They weren't demanding it — they were showing that they were going to take it."

That advocacy won't stop with the building of their own chamber of commerce, Somakoko said to the MLAs and other Black business leaders.

"Government members, this is the time to show your commitment to diversity and inclusion," she said at the end of the launch event.

"There's no more excuses. You know where you can put your money," she said, drawing laughs.

"Let's build Manitoba."

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.