Europe and Africa Branch

The Europe and Africa Branch has a mandate to promote Alberta for investment attraction, trade development, and government to government relations in Europe and Africa (excluding North Africa and Middle East).  In addition, this branch manages Alberta’s relationship with international financial institutions.

Key activities are managed in coordination with Alberta’s two international offices located in Europe (United Kingdom and Germany) and include:

Government to Government Relations:

  • Represent and advise on Alberta’s interests with regard to foreign governments.
  • Manage Alberta's twinning relationships with international jurisdictions, including Russia (Tyumen Oblast, Khanty-Mansii, and Yamal-Nenets), Germany (Saxony), Ukraine (Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv), and South Africa (Mpumalanga).
  • Provide support for the Advisory Council on Alberta-Ukraine Relations (ACAUR).
  • Coordinate inbound programs for visiting dignitaries.

Investment Attraction:

  • Promote Alberta's business opportunities to targeted companies in priority markets to attract investment to Alberta.
  • Market Alberta by facilitating networking events and programs, and contact introductions in priority markets.
  • Coordinate strategic investment and media/journalist missions to Alberta.

Trade Development:

  • Provide information to Alberta companies attempting to expand and/or initiate international business in order to increase awareness of market opportunities in Europe and Africa.
  • Support market entry initiatives for export ready Alberta companies by showcasing their technologies, products and services in Europe and Africa.
  • Provide Alberta companies with strategic advice as to how best approach the European and African markets.

International Financial Institutions:

  • Provide Alberta companies with access to information on projects financed by international financial institutions.
  • Lead the Alberta Government's participation in the World Bank's Private Sector Liaison Network.

Priority target markets for trade and investment include United Kingdom, France, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, The Nordics, Russia and Kazakhstan.

Priority industries are:

For more information on Alberta's relationships with Europe and Africa, view:

For more information on Alberta-Europe trade and investment initiatives contact:

Advanced Industries

Heli Carswell
Senior Director
Trade and Investment
Europe and Africa Branch
780-427-6386
heli.carswell@gov.ab.ca

Environment & Energy

Patrick Mattern
Senior Director
Trade and Investment
Europe and Africa Branch
403-297-8900
patrick.mattern@gov.ab.ca

For information on International Financial Institutions or Alberta-Africa trade and investment initiatives contact:

Shane Jaffer
International Financial Institutions and Africa Director
Europe and Africa Branch
403-297-6592
shane.jaffer@gov.ab.ca

For information on International Intergovernmental initiatives for Europe and Africa contact:

Andrea Enes
Senior Intergovernmental Officer
Europe and Africa Branch
780-422-1625
andrea.enes@gov.ab.ca